


Flies Like a Butterfly, Stings like a Bee

by Seattlempd



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: As up to date with the episodes as possible, Canon Universe, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-23 14:37:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14334603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seattlempd/pseuds/Seattlempd
Summary: Three years have passed since Marinette first received her miraculous from Master Fu, yet she and her partner are no closer to capturing Hawkmoth. After an unusual akuma attack, Ladybug and Chat Noir learn that the threat that Hawkmoth poses has become much more serious. As friendships are made and new miraculous wielders are introduced, the heroes of Paris will have to push themselves to their limits to keep their beloved city akuma-free. But as the stakes only get higher and new threats appear, will Ladybug and Chat Noir be able to keep up?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I’m Seattlempd, you can call me Seattle or MPD for short. I love writing, but I suck at creating and sticking with plot lines, so I decided creating fanfiction would be a fun way to develop my storytelling skills. I also really love Miraculous Ladybug, hence the subject matter of this project.
> 
> As I am NOT of French descent, nor do I live in France, most of the cultural, educational, or language aspects of this story will be from Google sleuthing. I apologize in advance if I create mistakes, please feel free to correct me in the comments (politely please). Please keep in mind that I am trying to learn and incorporate things as I go, so be patient and respectful in your comments. For an example of how much I’ve already worked for this fanfic without writing the fic itself, I spent many days researching French high school along with honorifics and came up with multiple spreadsheets laying out Adrien and Marinette’s class schedules, including classes, lunch times, extracurricular activities, and when LB&CN patrol. I want this to be a solid piece of writing so I’m doing everything I can to make this work. I'm also going off of my one-week trip to Paris, where I saw the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame de Paris, the Arc de Triomphe, the Luxembourg Palace, and more. It was wonderful and very inspiring (plus the FOOD OMG)
> 
> Please also remember that I am a senior in high school taking a full schedule of college classes (thru Running Start), so updates may not be regular. I am a person who has many responsibilities (scholarship apps, homework, friends, boyfriend, family, etc.) and it takes time and effort to sit down and write. I appreciate comments like “I love this fic! Can’t wait for more!” or “In chapter 3, paragraph 8, you referenced a meme and I am DYINGGGG" because this makes me unbelievably happy. I don’t want to see “PLEASE UPDATE OMGG” or “Did you die? H-hewwo? Update soon please\\\\\\\ UWU UWU” because this puts pressure on me to write, which does not make me want to write.
> 
> Lastly, shipping. This is gonna be short and sweet; I will list what main ships I am writing about in the tags of the fic itself, so if you do not agree with said ship, keep it to yourself.
> 
> With all of that said, thank you very much, and I hope you enjoy!

Marinette was in a dream. She could tell straight away, because she stood outside in a park with the sun shining on her face…in her pajamas. Clouds made of fabric floated on a breeze that gently lifted strands of her hair, tickling her cheek. Something felt wet on her skin. Running the back of her hand over her mouth, she grimaced as drool smeared across her face. Yuck. She was most likely going to wake up to a soggy pillow. Sudden motion caught her attention.  
She gasped as Adrien stood in front of her, clad in his usual dark t-shirt and sand-washed jeans. His smile was radiant as he approached, and Mari could feel her heartbeat pick up in speed. What was he doing in her dreams? Usually when she dreamed of him, they were dating or married. This time, it seemed like they were friends, similarly to how they were in real life.  
A moment later, they were sitting on a bench that had not existed until that moment. He was resting his head on the back of the seat, eyes closed. His expression was the essence of serenity. Without warning, he gently lifted her hand to his face, placing a small kiss on the back of it. Right where she had wiped her saliva minutes before. Blushing furiously, Marinette almost didn’t notice the charm bracelet he wore on his left wrist. She also spotted the silver ring adorning his right hand. It looked…familiar. Time seemed to stop as Mari drank in the image of that ring, absorbing the tiny details. She had seen this piece of jewelry before, on someone else’s hand…  
Adrien’s eyes were open again and staring straight at her. The soft smile was gone, replaced by awe.  
And she was Ladybug, her arms from elbow down and her legs from knee down solid black. Her hair was up in a single, high ponytail; in the past three years, Mari’s hair had grown a bit longer, so she had been taking advantage of the opportunity to try new hairstyles as Ladybug. She gazed at him, her smile not quite happy. This was something she knew quite well; Adrien was in love with Ladybug, the confident and athletic heroine of Paris. He would never accept that under the mask, Marinette was clumsy and shy. She imagined over and over how he might react-disappointed and confused. Yet, here…he was removing her mask, grinning. Accepting her for who she was.  
This was a moment she knew only existed in her dreams. So, she cherished the few minutes of his support. Leaning in, she moved to kiss Adrien-  
“…nette. Marinette, wake up!”  
She jolted into a sitting position, spit dried on her cheek. “Hwha?”  
Tikki was flitting anxiously in front of her face. “Marinette, you’re going to be late for class if you don’t start getting ready!”  
“School,” The teenager groaned, “was the worst invention ever. Why did I agree to sign up for an early morning class?”  
“Your duties as Ladybug include patrolling with Chat Noir during the evening, so you needed- “  
Mari waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah I know. Do you know if my parents are awake?”  
The crimson kwami frowned slightly. “I don’t think they are. Why?”  
“Because,” Mari yawned, “I was supposed to clean the dishes last night, but I didn’t. So, this gives me time to at least stick them in the dishwasher.”  
Rolling out of bed, the teen tugged on a light pink blouse, a pair of dark navy trousers, her usual flats, and a blazer that matched the color of her pants. After brushing her teeth, washing her face, and bullying her hair into their classic pigtails, Marinette rushed downstairs to shove plates and silverware into the dishwasher. Yanking her phone from its charger and grabbing her shoulder bag, she gestured for Tikki to enter the pocket in her satchel. The kwami obliged willingly, a laugh escaping her.  
“Marinette, one of these days you’ll begin to wake up on time.”  
She giggled. “I can’t wait to see that day, Tikki.”  
Then, they were out the door and hurrying to Marinette’s high school.  
\---  
Adrien sighed, tapping his pen subconsciously on the side of his notepad. For a Wednesday morning, he was unusually inattentive to his English teacher’s lecture on Shakespeare. He had stayed up late the night before binge watching Lady blog updates, which was, admittedly, not the best way to spend his time. Adrien just could not help it-whenever something involving Ladybug popped up in his phone notifications, he immediately began watching it.  
His difficulty to focus had become more apparent than usual lately. When a bird went flying by a window, or when a dog started barking, he immediately became distracted by it. He also noticed that he often had an urge to chase things like squirrels or pigeons. Upon asking about his new behavioral changes to Plagg, the kwami had simply stated that prolonged exposure to a miraculous could, in fact, instill small changes in the people wielding them. He then pointed out that Adrien had been wearing the cat miraculous for multiple years now, and that it was a miracle that he was only noticing such changes now.  
Turning his attention back to his teacher, Adrien toyed with a strand of his hair. It had grown longer within the past three years and now was usually up in a short ponytail or bun. He snapped his attention back to his teacher again with slight frustration. He really needed some help when it came to staying on task. Adrien also probably needed a haircut, but that was unimportant right now.  
“Shakespeare wrote numerous plays, many of which became popular with time. Can anyone name a few?”  
Rose’s hand shot in the air as she blurted, “Romeo and Juliet!”  
“Very good. This one captures a forbidden romance between to rival families. Can anyone tell me what genre this play is?”  
“It’s obviously a romance. Yuck!”  
Mlle. Laurent smiled. “While it does include romantic scenes, miss Bourgeois, Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. Are there any other plays that you know?”  
Adrien began to raise his hand, but Nino beat him to it. “Macbeth, the one where the husband and wife go on a killing spree!”  
“Thank you, Mr. Lahiffe. Yes, Macbeth is another tragedy.”  
Before the teacher could continue her lecture, Kim groaned, “This class is a tragedy. When are we going to learn something interesting?”  
“Excuse me, I hope you are not suggesting that Shakespeare, a master of literary work, is boring you? Do you have something better to do?”  
Adrien winced at the teacher’s tone of voice. Clearly, she admired Shakespeare quite a bit. If Kim kept pushing it, he could cause trouble that only Chat Noir and Ladybug could fix…  
“Yeah, actually. I’d much rather be training for a marathon than learning about an old dead guy!” Kim chuckled.  
Getting up out of his seat, he made for the door. Noticing this, the teacher blocked his path.  
The teacher was fuming now, her face turning a bright red. “If you cannot respect a famous author, nor my teaching, then you can send yourself to the principal!”  
Kim only shrugged. “I’d rather sit through a scolding at the principal’s office than this lecture.”  
Adrien watched with dismay as his classmate sauntered out of the room with a smirk plastered to his face. How could he treat their teacher that way, when he knew of the possibility to akumatize her?  
Apparently, he had whispered this out loud, because Nino replied quietly, “I dunno, man. Kim has a weird way of handling conflict. Hopefully Mlle. Laurent won’t take it to heart.”  
“Please turn to page 45 of your textbooks.” The teacher ran her shaky hands over her face, as if trying to wipe the frustration away. “Read quietly, I need a moment.”  
With that, she exited the classroom. This was unusual behavior for Mlle. Laurent-normally, she had the class under control. Her calm demeanor had vanished today, though. Kim had obviously hit a soft spot of hers. Concerned, Adrien was about to excuse himself to the restroom when their door slammed open, and Shakespeare himself stalked into the room.  
Adrien let out a groan. Time to find a place to transform.  
“I am Mlle. Shakespeare! You will all learn to respect my writing!” The akumatized teacher exclaimed hysterically.  
Horrified, the class watched as Mlle. Shakespeare transformed into Robin Goodfellow. Grinning, Puck began to dance around the front desk. Then, he suddenly outstretched his hands. Crows erupted out of them, cawing and swooping down towards Adrien’s classmates, clawing at their hair. The classroom exploded into chaotic screaming and flailing students. Dodging a fairly large bird, Adrien scrambled out the door and down the steps to the men’s locker room.  
Opening his pocket for Plagg, the teenager let out a series of harsh sneezes.  
“Are you going to be alright out there, kid?” The kwami inquired, watching as Adrien glared at him through his sniffles. “Maybe you should sit this one out.”  
“N-no, Ladybug can’t fight alone. Plagg, claws out!”  
With a flash of bright green light, Chat Noir stood in place of Adrien Agreste. Blinking, Chat flexed his claw-tipped fingers and rolled his head around once.  
“Alright, time to go save the day.”  
\---  
Marinette frowned at her pad of newsprint, charcoal stick in hand. Their instructor had set out a complicated still life for their drawing class today, composed of wire baskets, apples, a couple of skulls, some flowers, and strands of ribbon. Mari was perched on a stool, hunched over her half-finished drawing. While she did not consider herself a master of the arts, she knew that she was near the top of her class. Yet, here she was, struggling to finish her illustration. Nathanael sat nearby, deeply invested in his work. It was no wonder why he was the top of the class; the teen was incredibly talented, practicing his drawing skills any time he could. The teenage girl could not help but giggle at the smear of charcoal on the side of his forehead. Their blue eyes met momentarily, and she gestured at her own face to notify him of the mark on his skin.  
Nathanael smiled his thanks, leaving his easel to wash up. Mari focused back on her work. The lines seemed fine, a variety of thickness and shapes creating dimension in her piece. She had nearly perfected her composition and had been halfway done with her shading. Something was missing, though. The drawing felt disconnected, unbalanced. Perhaps she was missing some volume? Or maybe her composition was not as perfect as she had thought?  
Marinette was about to begin working again when a loud commotion outside drew her attention away from her drawing. Hearing the tell-tale panic of an akuma attack, she attempted to rein in her terror as Romeo came waltzing into her classroom. Most of the students panicked and ran for the windows or door; with an extended hand, Romeo threw giant rose thorns at Marinette’s classmates. Watching one almost impale Rose, the pig-tailed teen knew she had to draw the attention of the akumatized victim away, without being injured herself. Glancing around the classroom, Mari was starting to form a plan when she sensed a figure standing in front of her.  
She peered up at Romeo as he crowed, “My lovely girl, you are exquisite! Perhaps you wouldn’t mind pointing me in the direction of- “  
Before he could finish, Marinette felt herself being guided away from the akuma. She found herself peering into familiar green eyes.  
“Princess,” Chat Noir greeted cheerfully, “it seems like you’ve attracted yet another fan. Although I must warn you, that’s Mlle. Laurent.”  
Her freckled nose crinkled, much to the superhero’s delight. “I suspected something was off about that. As I recall, Romeo doesn’t have a knack for cinnamon perfume. Also, you just gave away that you attend classes here, Chat. I don’t suppose you have anything else exciting to share with me?”  
He smacked his forehead. “Damn, I guess my tongue slipped. You have to keep that a secret, Mari.”  
She nodded with a giggle. Without further warning, Chat Noir carried Marinette away from the akumatized teacher. He gently placed her in front of the girl’s bathroom, encouraging her to hide in the stalls until the attack was over. With a salute, he was off. As he propelled himself away, Mari noted the ponytail his hair was kept in. She had been shocked to find that after his vacation this past summer, Chat Noir had returned with hair long enough to tie in a bun, braid, or short ponytail. He had also come back taller, with a tan and leaner, rock hard muscle, but she tried not to dwell on that too much. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Marinette hurried into the bathroom.  
Locking herself in a stall, she muttered, “So much for drawing class. Tikki, spots on!”  
Momentarily blinded by the bright light emitted from her transformation, Ladybug burst through the bathroom door and listened for where the akumatized victim was. The lower classrooms seemed fine, and the courtyard she stood in was empty. Using her yo-yo, she yanked herself up to the second floor. Nothing but a vacant hallway greeted her.  
“Where is everyone…” Marinette murmured.  
Cautiously strutting down the hall, she found herself suddenly ducking out of the way as a classroom door slammed open and people poured out in panic. The crimson clad heroine had to clap her hands against her ears to avoid being deafened by the screams of the terrified students. Making sure everyone was safely out of harm’s way, she aimed her attention at-  
“Puck?!”  
“Robin Goodfellow, my lady. Pleasure meeting you.” Approaching her, Puck was about to kiss her hand when a metal rod smacked the akuma’s face away from Ladybug.  
“I’m afraid Bugaboo is only one man’s lady, Mlle. Shakespeare.” Chat Noir crooned.  
“You didn’t happen to be in English when she was akumatized, were you?”  
The cat-themed superhero faced Ladybug with a reluctant sigh, “Yeah, actually, I witnessed the entire thing. Le Chien Kim has a way with people, does he not?”  
“Ugh,” she pretended to groan, glossing over the fact she already knew that bit of information, “I blew it. We know yet another thing about each other. At least now I know we share the same horrible water fountains.”  
Chat Noir chuckled, “I’ve ruined many shirts when trying to get a drink. Not very pleasant, huh?”  
“Hey!” The Puck shouted, “Don’t just ignore me! I am Mlle. Shakespeare, and you will all come to understand my genius!”  
Pouting at the akuma, Marinette replied, “Come on, don’t tell me you haven’t encountered the horror that is this school’s water fountains. They spray you from head to toe!”  
Chat Noir’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline, a grin spreading across his face.  
Mlle. Shakespeare did not appear to be as amused, although she did respond reluctantly, “I bring water bottles. Now, let’s return to the important matter at hand; Mr. Le Chien has insulted a master of his craft! This cannot go unpunished!”  
“Then I guess we’ll have to stop you. Chat, do you know where the akuma is?”  
Using a claw to point for emphasis, he stated, “It’s in her book. We could try one of our classic routines? I distract while you attack?”  
Before Ladybug could reply, Robin Goodfellow disappeared in a cloud of ravens. When the birds dissipated, Sir Toby from Twelfth Night appeared in his place. With a book in one hand and a suspicious looking bottle in the other, Ladybug knew almost instantly this would prove more challenging than she expected.  
“Hey, what do you call two super heroes who are about to fall for prank after prank?” Sir Toby chortled, skipping around carelessly.  
Ladybug opened her mouth to reply, but Toby was already answering his own joke. “Super bad!”  
“That was super bad.” Chat Noir grumbled, disgusted.  
The leather-clad hero sprinted towards the akuma, eyes laser-focused on the twitchy villain. Ladybug followed closely behind. She tried her best to analyze his movements; was he just naturally fidgety, or were these calculated steps he was taking?  
Sir Toby stood stock-still suddenly, whirling on the unprepared heroes. Beaming, he pressed a button that had not existed the moment before. The floor they were standing on suddenly disappeared, sending Ladybug and Chat plummeting towards the concrete a floor below them. Not having time to react, they both landed flat on their backs. Marinette felt the air in her lungs forcefully escape, leaving her breathless for a moment before she started coughing. Her partner was audibly gasping for air beside her.  
“That was a nasty trick.” Chat Noir wheezed. “I don’t like this akuma.”  
Pushing herself to her feet, Ladybug trudged over to her companion and helped him up. “I think I have an idea. If Mlle. Shakespeare transforms into someone we can manipulate easily, then we could use our distraction tactic. We just need to wait for a good opportunity.”  
“Sounds like a pawsome strategy to me. Are you sure we can last until an opening arrives though?”  
“We’ll have to find out.” She responded.  
They both jumped back a step as Sir Toby landed gracefully in front of them. He suddenly launched a string of bottles at the pair, forcing them to maneuver around the projectiles. Ladybug leaped backwards as the neck of a bottle nearly grazed her nose. Her eyes narrowed. Too close to the face. Way too close. Landing somewhat awkwardly, she had to vault backwards once more to avoid Sir Toby's sloppy kick. Propelling herself off the ground with her hands, she stuck her landing perfectly. The heroine was ready for Mlle. Shakespeare's attack this time, hurling her yo-yo to intercept yet another bottle aimed for her head. The vessel shattered, shards of glass whizzing past her face and landing near her feet. One piece scratched her cheek shallowly. Chat hissed and jumped in front of her, batting the last few bottles out of the air.  
Tenderly probing the skin around her wound, she sighed. That would be hard to explain as Marinette. She'd have to invent some crazy story of how she tripped and fell onto a sharp object. Or she could claim that one of Romeo's thorns had sliced her cheek without her noticing. That was much more plausible.

With a startling cry, Sir Toby was surrounded in crows and transformed into Puck once more. An ink black feather drifted onto Chat Noir’s face and Ladybug had to stifle a fit of giggles as he sneezed several times. Dancing a few feet away, Puck spotted a stray student sprinting across the courtyard and pointed a finger at them. The heroes of Paris watched in horrified curiosity as the girl mutated into a donkey, which brayed frantically.

"What an ass." Chat Noir muttered.

Ladybug was officially done with this akuma and Chat's jokes. Sending her yo-yo straight into the air, she cried her iconic 'lucky charm' and gracefully caught the item that came hurtling down towards her from the sky. She held a scarlet tiara in her gloved hands, admiring the detail work before trying to think of what she could use it for. Puzzled, she laid her eyes on Robin Goodfellow, who was gleefully prancing around the donkey and mocking the sounds she was making. 

The Puck, and a tiara...that was it!

As she placed the diadem on her head, Chat Noir crooned, "My lady, I'm always supportive of princesses, but I don't see how playing dress-up is helping our current situation."

"Chat, you're obviously slacking in your reading. The Puck is infatuated with Queen Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Disguised as her, I can distract Mlle. Shakespeare while you grab the book from her hands."

He beamed at her. "Already on it, bugaboo. Nice thinking!"

Clearing her throat, Ladybug called out regally, "Robin Goodfellow! This is Queen Titania speaking. What are you doing, turning people into mules?"

Puck's eyes became as wide as dishes. 

Bowing, she exclaimed, "Your excellency! I did not know you would grace me with your presence. I am on a noble quest to retrieve the miraculous of the cat and ladybug, for Hawkmoth. I am also pursuing a particular fool who vexed me earlier."

While Puck was bent over with his eyes closed, Chat Noir rushed in and tugged the book from Mlle. Shakespeare's clutches. He then chucked the novel to Ladybug, who caught it and tore the tome in half. A large, dark butterfly with glowing violent veins escaped from the book, flitting away.

Ladybug opened her yo-yo and caught the akuma, cleansing it. She then tossed her tiara into the air, returning everything to normal.

"Bien joue!" The two fist-bumped, smiling at each other.

Chat Noir was turning to leave when he noticed Ladybug casually walking back towards the classrooms. "Uh, my lady? You have to de-transform before returning to school."

"I know," She replied, "but I have someone I need to talk to first, as Ladybug."

With a shrug and a salute, her partner was gone. She stared after him for a moment with a bittersweet grin. Marinette had grown quite fond of Chat in the three years of working beside him. Knowing that she could not reciprocate his feelings for her, knowing that she had disappointed him so strongly and he had stopped asking her out on dates without a second thought, remembering the gorgeous dinner he had set-up for her…she could not help but feel so lucky to have him in her life. Mari pursed her lips as she remembered what she had been set on doing a moment ago. Strutting towards the principal's office, Ladybug pushed through the doors and aimed a hard stare at Le Chien Kim, who was in shock. 

"Kim, I need you to be gentler with the way you speak to others. Chat Noir and I stopped this akuma, but I received an injury in the process. Do you understand?"

The boy looked like he was about to cry, but he managed to murmur, "Yes, I'm so sorry Ladybug. I'm having trouble at home and I guess I'm taking it out on others here."

Giving him a warm smile, Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder before exiting the building. Marinette returned to the bathroom and de-transformed, catching her exhausted kwami and carefully placing her in her purse. A cookie awaited the tiny goddess inside. Meanwhile, Mari's pigtails bounced as she ascended a flight of stairs and rushed back to her art classroom. Being away from her drawing for that long had given the teenager some inspiration.  
\- - -  
Later that night, Ladybug stood on a rooftop with her arms wrapped around herself to buffet the chill in the air. Her partner was running a little late for their patrol, it seemed. Noticing sudden movement to the left of her, the heroine grinned. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

"My lady," Chat crooned, "I am pawsitively sorry for being late. You're looking dashing in orange tonight. Something bugging you?"

Attempting to ignore his puns, she sighed, "I'm just tired."

As of a year ago, Marinette had noticed some drastic changes in her behavior - and in Ladybug's suit. When she was frustrated or tired, her suit would be a rust orange when she transformed. If she was confused, it would be gray. Tikki explained that color variations in the costume were likely caused by Marinette's emotional state during transformation, and that the colors reflected variations in color of the bug in which her miraculous was inspired by. As for her behavior out of costume, Marinette had adopted several houseplants that she now kept in her room and on her balcony. She enjoyed salads more often than not, and she noticed that she was more temperature-sensitive than she used to be. While none of these changes were causing her any scrutiny, it was an unpleasant surprise.

"Let's get this patrol done so you can sleep, then." Her partner's voice cut into Ladybug's reverie.

Checking to make sure her bun was in place, Ladybug took off and carefully examined her half of Paris, swinging through alleyways and above rooves. The wind howled in her ears and served as a reminder that the cut on her cheek would need tending to later. 

After deeming her section of the city to be free of any trouble, Ladybug used her yo-yo to grapple up to the first platform on the Eiffel Tower. Chat Noir was not far behind her, landing with an acrobatic flip. Within a few moments he was cuddled up to his partner, purring lightly. They had gradually become more comfortable around each other, much to Chat's pleasure.

Ladybug stifled a yawn as she murmured, "It's been increasingly difficult to deal with classes and the daily akuma attacks. You would think Hawkmoth has gone through the entire city by now."

"We've had quite a few close calls as of late, too. You keep getting injured." Chat brushed strand of Ladybug's dark hair from her face, barely keeping the tremor from his voice. "I hate how frequently these akuma are landing hits on us. I'm afraid they're growing in power."

"And they never remember anything! No hints about what they see, what Hawkmoth looks like, nothing." Feeling her throat constrict with irritation, Ladybug took a calming breath before continuing, "We've had all these years to capture Hawkmoth, to gain some ground on him, and yet he always seems to divert our focus at just the right moment. It's incredibly frustrating to feel this...helpless. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever catch him. Or her. Whoever Hawkmoth is."

Chat Noir sighed through his nose. "Purrhaps we could ask our mentor what he thinks of our situation."

"Master Fu keeps directing our one-on-one conversations to Nooroo," Ladybug replied, "as if there might be something we can find out about Hawkmoth through a kwami that's been gone for years."

"What a terrible fate, to be stuck in the hands of a villain." The leather of his suit squeaked as the cat miraculous wielder fisted his hands.

Marinette's heart ached upon witnessing Chat's clear frustration. She understood all too well how he was feeling, but it pained Mari to see her partner this unusually serious.

"I feel bad for Nooroo as well, Chaton. But without knowing who Hawkmoth is, we cannot save him."

"We could talk to Master Fu together, with our kwami. Maybe all of us together could conjure up some notion of what to do next."

Ladybug hated this part of their conversations. While she knew her partner had good intentions, she could not shake this feeling that revealing themselves to each other would cause catastrophe. 

Noticing the glint in his vibrant, green eyes, she spoke up. "I know it's difficult to keep up, but I still think our personal lives should remain unaffected by our superhero personalities."

"Bugaboo, you've been pushing that for three years now. While I agree that we should have some separation, you have to have noticed the improvement we've been making just by conducting these patrols. An idea that I came up with."

"Yes, but- "

"So why can't we take the next step?! My lady, we trust each other with our lives every time we're out there fighting. How is that any different than knowing each other out of the suits?"

Ladybug squeezed her eyes shut, another yawn threatening to spill from her. "I am not ready, kitty. Let's talk about this later."

Chat Noir opened his mouth, brows furrowed, but kept quiet.

Shoulders sagging and back slightly hunched, he whispered, "Okay. Goodnight, Ladybug."

She watched her partner disappear into the night before heading home. Marinette despised disappointing him so frequently, but the truth was she could not bear to face him out of costume yet. Descending her balcony ladder and dropping her transformation, the weary teenager collapsed onto her bed.

Tikki hovered over Marinette's face, unusually silent. When the teen glanced at her kwami, the tiny goddess seemed distressed.

Before Mari could ask what was wrong, Tikki stated, "I think you should begin more seriously considering what Chat Noir is asking of you."

"Tikki," She whined, "not you, too. I'm just not ready yet!" 

"Marinette, you've been saying that for three years now. Your partner is probably convinced you'll never be ready. Which you may not be." Tikki floated closer to her companion's face as she continued, "It's okay to feel scared about revealing yourself. You would be vulnerable. But that's why we decided to wait until you had more faith in your partner. I think you both have reached a place where trust isn't an issue anymore. Don't you agree?"

Marinette had to take a moment to process the information. "I... guess so. Maybe I've been avoiding this for too long. How would we even go about revealing ourselves though?! I could call him as Ladybug. What would he think about my room, though…agh..."

The kwami watched with amusement as her wielder began pacing across her floor anxiously. "I'm not saying you have to call him right now, Mari! I simply think you should begin to spend more time with your partner. You could lead up to revealing your identity through getting to know each other better."

Brilliant blue eyes focused on the crimson kwami, and Marinette's expression relaxed. "You're right. Thank you, Tikki. I'm always so much calmer as Ladybug."

"Ladybug and you are the same person, Marinette. In or out of the suit." 

"Bleh," the teen responded, "I know you're right but it's so hard to accept."

Hearing a buzz coming from her phone, the raven-haired girl snatched her device from the dark backpack resting against her bed and read the latest message she had received.

Alya: Last warning girl, don't forget the English homework tomorrow

Marinette: Ooh my god you saved me. Thanks Alya!!!

Alya: What would any of you do without me...

Marinette: Perish, probably at the hands of Mr. Bernard

Alya: Troo. Check the Lady blog when you can, I got a clip of Ladybug on patrol tonight!

Marinette slapped her forehead subconsciously. How had she missed her friend on the streets?? She scowled. Alya was becoming more of a threat to her identity as well.

Marinette: I will! You were out pretty late, then. Parents get mad?

Alya: LOL no. They can't catch me, I'm too sneaky. I gtg Nino's calling

Setting her cellphone down, Marinette undid her bun and dragged her binder from the depths of her bag. She flipped through her English workbook until she reached their assignment, and with much disdain she began working through her homework.

Tikki flitted over to Marinette's potted plants, examining each for aphids. "I think Chloe's dehydrated, Mari."

Right. She had almost forgotten the hilarious names she gave her plants when she first got them. Chloe was a Devil’s Ivy that had been slowly growing for about five weeks now. Marinette thought the name for this particular plant was fitting.

"Are you saying Chloe is thirsty? No shock there," Marinette giggled.

Tikki frowned in reply. "You kids really do have the worst jokes."

The teen gave her kwami an apologetic look before padding over to the plant in question. The dirt inside the terracotta pot did feel rather dry. Picking up the glass of water on her desk, Marinette poured the clear liquid onto the soil near Chloe's roots until the dirt appeared - and felt - sufficiently soaked.

"Back to work," Mari sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quiet day goes by, and Ladybug gives something to Chat Noir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In between the busy moments of my life I managed to crank out another chapter! Hope you enjoy~

Thursday's classes went by in a breeze, with no notable events occurring. No akuma attack, to Marinette's relief. Now, the raven-haired girl found herself covered in flour in the bakery kitchen. She had rushed home from school and made a large batch of macaroon dough, and had separated it evenly into three metal bowls. Marinette retrieved the food dye, and squeezed out a few drops of orange into one bowl, red in the second, and green in the third. Mixing until all three batches of batter were evenly colored, she piped the macaroons onto baking sheets, dropped the metal pans to remove air bubbles, and set them aside to dry out for awhile.

Marinette had wanted to create these treats for awhile, and now that she finally had the time to make them she was seizing her opportunity. She was creating macaroons inspired by Paris' superheroes; Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Rena Rouge. Although her spotlight was short, Rena had done a lot of good for the city. Even out of costume, Alya continually fought for what she believed was right, whether it be standing up to Chloe's bullying or participating in marches. She was also constantly updating the Lady blog with pictures and short videos of Ladybug and Chat Noir in action. Alya managed to summarize akuma attacks fairly accurately in the posts, too. That was one of the many things Marinette admired about her best friend; when it came to details, none were erased. She would make a good addition to the team full-time.

Her thoughts drifted to Chat Noir and Tikki's requests. Marinette had avoided thinking about revealing her identity through all of her classes, but now the thoughts were creeping into existence again. What would he think, knowing that the mighty, courageous Ladybug was a girl who used to struggle to get her words out around her crush? Hey, she internally scolded, I hold decent conversations with him now. So, maybe she was not the spitting image of her heroine self as a civilian. That was normal! If she was doing acrobatic jumps and flips through all of Paris, Marinette would be discovered as Ladybug almost instantly. Besides, she was Ladybug, in or out of costume. Marinette could recognize her strength and intelligence. Chat Noir would most likely be perfectly content to know that Marinette was under the red and black-spotted mask.

And if he was not... she would be okay with that. They would work it out, as they did with every issue they encountered.

The kitchen timer chirped at her. Thirty minutes had passed already? Sighing, Marinette transferred her macaroons to the oven at set the timer for sixteen minutes. She then flopped onto the couch and channel-surfed until the news was playing on the television. Her mind drifted off again to the dull buzz of Nadia chatting. Mari pondered the characteristics of her miraculous partner. He loved puns and other jokes, he constantly smelled like expensive cologne with a hint of cheese, and his hair was surprisingly soft despite the clear usage of hair spray or hair gel. Chat often put Ladybug's survival above his own during akuma attacks...and Marinette hated that. She absolutely despised being considered more important than him in fights. Especially if that meant that he was thought of as disposable. They were both painfully aware that Ladybug was the only one who could cleanse akuma and therefore could not afford to be affected by the akumatized victims. Still...Marinette swore her heart stopped every time Chat Noir was put in danger's way for her.

Blowing a rogue strand of hair out of her face, the teenage girl refocused on the tv. Perhaps being distracted would do her some good.

\---

The next day went painfully slowly. Marinette struggled to stay awake through her classes and could barely focus long enough to eat lunch. Alya figured that Marinette was ill and pestered her to go home early, which the pig-tailed girl stubbornly refused. The two of them ran into a frazzled Adrien during the passing time between lunch and their next classes. He managed a quick smile and a wave, though his expression did not match his appearance. Adrien's golden hair was slightly disheveled, his Jagged Stone t-shirt was wrinkled, and one of his shoelaces had come undone. Most notable, however, were the dark, baggy circles under his slightly bloodshot eyes.

"He looks how you're acting," Alya snorted. "Both of you could use some sleep. Did you two like, hook up and not tell me?"

Marinette scowled at that. "Please, you know if anything that big happened I'd tell you. Either that, or you'd find my carcass being lifted out of the Seine after Chloe had her way with me."

They both chuckled at the idea of Chloe Bourgeois actually laying a finger on Marinette. While it was something Chloe had probably considered, everyone in the school knew not to mess with Marinette physically. Kim had challenged her to an arm wrestling competiton once and, forgetting to check her super-strength, she had won with ease.

Chloe might actually catch her off-guard today, though. Last night, after her macaroons had been baked, decorated, and set in the fridge, Ladybug had called Chat Noir. The discussion itself was quite brief; Ladybug requested that their usual patrol be substituted for a meeting with Master Fu, together. Chaton had been so thrilled that he nearly sent himself tumbling off a steep rooftop. Now that it was Friday, Marinette could not shake the jitters and fidgeting from herself. She had never been to Master Fu's with her partner in tow - neither of them had spent any time together outside of patrols and akuma battles. This was a very big first, so naturally it was freaking the teen out. 

Alya's voice severed Mari's daze as she chirped, "Well, this is our stop. What do you think Mr. Bernard has in store for us today?"

"Grammar," Mari replied sourly, "and lots of vocabulary terms."

Taking their seats, Marinette found her writing tablet and pen and placed them on her desk. There was still a minute or two before class began, and so she took this opportunity to sketch out some ideas that were clogging up her mind. She first created a rough sketch of a suit jacket, with an asymmetrical hem. The collar flaps were folded up and sharper than their usual design. She then added asymmetrical sleeves and hard, squared shoulders. Marinette suddenly had multiple ideas of where this could go, and so she created a typical suit jacket sketch and duplicated it a few times. For the first, she made the hem of the jacket symmetrical and the corners rounded. Marinette then added a traditional cheongsam-style neckline, and sketched the Chinese symbols for ladybug next to it. She sketched in antennae-like designs near the collar, as well as dots along the ends of the sleeves and bottom hem of the suit jacket. The spots were concentrated at the hems and gradually faded into nothing. The second was more of a tuxedo-style jacket. She made the back of the jacket taper into a soft point. There were slits in the sleeves near the forearm, revealing pewter mesh fabric underneath. Marinette finished doodling a small black cat head next to this particular jacket just as her teacher began their lecture. 

\---

Scratching at an itchy spot around her crimson mask, Ladybug sat as still as she could manage while waiting for Chat Noir to show up. Which was not still at all. Her leg thumped on the ground nervously, she kept finding itches to scratch, and her incessant fidgeting had driven Master Fu up the wall. Well, that was not the only thing that had annoyed Fu. It seemed that tonight, Ladybug and Chat were in hot water. Hearing a soft pair of footsteps approach, Ladybug felt her heart rate skyrocket. The door slid open gently, and then Master Fu was sitting across from her and Chat Noir.

"I have waited until both of you were here to say this. Chat Noir, Ladybug, why have you still not revealed yourselves to each other? You two are supposed to be partners, in or out of the suit!"

This was the angriest Ladybug had seen Master Fu, other than the times he spoke of Hawkmoth. Even then, his fury was tinged with regret, or concern. This was pure irritation radiating off the elder. 

She opened her mouth to speak, but Chat cut her off. "Master Fu, while I understand your concern about this, I think we both need more time to ease into such a big event. We've been patrolling every two days for at least a month now; that gives us time to chat."

"Yes, but- " the elder cut himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose. Taking a sip of tea that Wayzz had provided, Fu spoke again with a softer tone. "Do what you can to speed up this transition. Not knowing who the other is could prove to be a matter of life or death later. For now, let's get to the topic we agreed to discuss: Hawkmoth and Nooroo. You both mentioned having concerns?"

"I hate that Nooroo is still trapped in Hawkmoth's grip, " Chat hissed, "and I wish there was something we could do to communicate with his kwami."

Ladybug piped up next, saying, "We've been hunting this man for years now, and we still know absolutely nothing about him. Unless we suddenly gain some information about his whereabouts, I feel like this battle is going to continue on forever. What do we do once both of us have to go off to college? Who will fight Hawkmoth then?"

Master Fu frowned into his tea cup. "I'm afraid you two raise very real issues. I cannot expect both of you to surrender your future education and lives to fight Hawkmoth. 

"I am growing old, perhaps too old to be a guardian anymore. You two have made many connections at your schools. Do you know anyone who could begin training to become a new guardian?"

"I know someone!" Chaton exclaimed. "Also," he added, "Ladybug and I found out that we attend the same high school."

Ladybug felt her composure fray a little at his remark. Hell, Master Fu's declaration had already torn it to mere shreds. He was thinking of retiring?!? Who could she go to for sage advice? Surely not the new recruit; they would be too young and inexperienced. Noticing the mundane silence growing in the room, she glanced up at her mentor.

"I knew you would dislike that I am planning on passing my miraculous and duty to another, Ladybug. This does not mean I am leaving you for good."

Feeling the tension leak from her shoulders, the heroine replied, "Thank you, Master Fu. I am reluctant about finding a potential replacement, but I think I know someone, too."

"Well, what's their name?"

"Nino Lahiffe." Both heroes said.

Chat glanced at Ladybug, bewildered. "You know Nino? That must explain why you freak out when Alya is in danger. You're close to her and Marinette."

"I..." Ladybug furrowed her brows. "Yeah, I'm close to those two girls."

She and Master Fu exchanged a knowing glance, and then he spoke up. "I will send a message to Nino through Chat Noir, if that's okay with you, Ladybug."

"Yes," she responded, "that's fine with me."

"Alright, good. Both of you should head home now; your kwami are probably exhausted."

"I have one more comment to add, Master Fu." Ladybug cut in. "I want to bring Rena Rouge to the team, permanently. She's been a wonderful addition and a great help to us."

Fu scratched at a dry spot on his speckled hands. "While I agree that she has proven to be permanent miraculous material, I don't think we can do so now without seriously endangering the rest of the team. Awakening one is bad enough, but two at the same time...

"I have not revealed a crucial piece of information to you two, because I never saw it becoming an issue. Unfortunately, I think it has become more relevant now. The butterfly miraculous is supposed to create temporary heroes out of plain civilians."

"Heroes...as in plural? Multiple heroes?" Chat Noir inquired shrilly. "Are you saying that- "

"Yes, I am. Hawkmoth has the ability to create multiple akuma, if the situation deems it necessary. With more miraculous wielders against him, he may become able to use this ability."

Ladybug breathed, "So, if we brought on Rena Rouge and Nino...Hawkmoth could create more than one akuma at a time. That's his strength, even without a partner..."

"I wouldn't call it strength, Ladybug." Master Fu murmured. "Yes, he can create villains to buy himself some time. But without his puppets, Hawkmoth is fairly weak. Your advantage is that you will have more support around you; he will never have that. Now, both of you should head home. If you need to contact me, you know how."

Bowing, Ladybug followed Chat Noir out of their mentor's home and onto a rooftop near her parent's bakery. They paused there to say goodbye. 

Before Chat could propel himself towards his home, Ladybug grabbed his tail. "Hold on, kitty. I had an idea."

"Oh? What's that?"

Clearly, he had not expected to be stopped. His eyes gleamed with joy.

"Well..." She bit her lower lip before continuing. "I thought about what Tikki, Master Fu, and you have all been saying to me recently and I figured it was time I trust you with something a bit bigger than just patrols. So...I want to exchange phone numbers."

Silence passed between them for a moment. Then, a small grin plastered itself onto his face, and Ladybug instantly regretted what she had done. 

"You're asking me for my phone number, my lady? I'm honored."

Rolling her eyes, Ladybug groaned, "Yes, Chaton, I am asking for your phone number."

"Well, bugaboo, I never thought I'd see the day. I'll give you my number on one condition." 

"What's that?" 

With a shit-eating grin, he purred, "No cat-calling me, please."

Ladybug had to actively restrain her urge to tackle this alley-cat into the street. "You're so ridiculous."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Chat commented, "So, did you bring paper and a pen? Because I don't think I can access my cellphone without de-transforming. It's in my jeans pocket."

"Yeah," She replied with a giggle, "I didn't really think this through. One moment, I'll ask Marinette Dupain-Cheng if I can borrow a piece of paper and something to write with."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She might be asleep."

Ladybug smirked. "No, she's not. Marinette doesn't go to sleep until it's probably too late. I'll be right back, wait here please."

Giving her partner a quick chin scratch, the heroine swung over to her balcony and descended the ladder, shutting the hatch behind her. 

"Just a few more minutes, Tikki. Then, you'll have all the cookies you want." 

Sometimes, Marinette wondered if her companion could hear her while she was transformed. She hoped so. Rummaging through the mess on her desk, Ladybug retrieved what she needed and hurried back to Chat. They tore the sheet in half, which elicited a 'No more evil-doing for you, akuma!' from him. 

Chuckling, Ladybug touched the tip of the pen to her piece of paper...and stopped. "Wait. Do you use Parrot by any chance?"

"Yes, I do. Why, are you afraid I'll recognize your digits?"

"...Yeah, I sort of am. Here, I'll give you the name to an account I'm going to make when I get home. You should do the same."

Chat Noir accepted the piece of paper with the username on it, smiling. 

When she was given his sheet of paper, Ladybug said, "Well, I need to go take care of my kwami. I'll talk to you later, Chat!" 

With a grunt, she used her yo-yo to swing across a few random rooves before returning to her balcony and dropping her transformation. Marinette always made sure she went home indirectly, so nobody would know where she lived if they tried following her. Catching her sleepy kwami, the teen descended her ladder once more and provided a few cookies for the tiny goddess. Marinette then pulled out her cellphone and created her new account under the name 'LB'. Glancing at the paper Chat Noir had given her, Mari frowned quizzically. All it had were the letters 'CN'. It was unlike her partner to not write something cheesy.

A chirp from her phone startled Marinette so badly, she jumped and squeaked. There was a notification waiting for her from Chat, with a single black cat emoji as the message.

She sent a ladybug emoji in reply, flopping onto her bed. Glancing over at her kwami, Marinette murmured, "Do you think I did the right thing today?"

"Mari, I think what you did was very brave." Tikki fluttered over to the girl with a cookie in tow. "I'm proud of you. This allows Chat Noir to contact you if he ever finds himself in danger."

"I didn't even think of that...thanks, Tikki. Are you feeling better?"

The kwami nestled into her makeshift bed hidden under Marinette's. "I am feeling better, but I still need rest. Don't stay up too late, Marinette. Goodnight!"

Whispering goodnight in reply, Mari turned her focus back to the messaging app. Chat had sent another message.

CN: Can I ask you a few purrsonal questions, my lady? 

LB: It depends on what they are

CN: Who are you

Marinette smacked her forehead, groaning.

LB: Nice try, Chaton. Anything else?

CN: What is your favorite breakfast food?

This puzzled Marinette. She had to think about the question for a moment.

LB: Cereal, usually granola with fruit. And a croissant. You?

CN: LUCKY! I get oatmeal every morning. Okay next question: who's your favorite musician

LB: Jagged Stone

CN: Same with me!! Bugaboo I think we have more in common than I thought

Seeing that Chat Noir was typing again through three moving dots, Marinette intercepted his next question with one of her own.

LB: I have a question! What's your favorite and least favorite class at our high school?

CN: I love physics and hate English. What about you?

Marinette almost typed out that she loved her fashion design class. Stopping herself, she wondered how much she could afford to reveal to her partner. She probably should not reveal fashion design, but drawing...that could work.

LB: I hate English, too. I love my drawing class

CN: Do you know Nathanael Kurtzberg?

LB: Yes I do

Chat's next reply came in so much later, Mari had thought that he had gone to sleep.

CN: I can't stop thinking about what Master Fu said about Hawkmoth...

The teen shuddered; she had not been able to forget it, either. The thought that Hawkmoth could create multiple akuma...how would they compete against that? The two of them often struggled with just a single akumatized victim. Imagine what it would take to cleanse more than one, at the same time..

LB: I know, Hawkmoth is like a never-ending nightmare

CN: I'm scared. I don't know if we can handle more than one akuma

LB: I'm also afraid, Chaton. At least for now, Hawkmoth doesn't have a need to create more than one

CN: It's pretty late, we should get some sleep. Goodnight Ladybug

Marinette smiled warmly as she typed goodnight back. Shutting off her phone, she snuggled into her bed and was fast asleep in minutes.

Or at least, she should have been. Her slumber was interrupted by a rap on the hatch door leading to her balcony. Grumbling incoherently, Mari ascended her ladder and greeted the leather-clad hero standing before her with a yawn.

"I'm sorry for waking you, princess. I could come back tomorrow if you'd prefurr?"

Lips curling into a grimace, the teen groaned, "That pun is enough to keep me awake long enough, Chat. What's up?"

"I just had the urge to stop by and see you before I head home. I'm also a little hungry..." He smiled apologetically as his stomach growled in response.

Marinette giggled, "I'll get you something from inside." Upon seeing his offered euros, she closed his claw-tipped fingers on them. "No need, you pay us enough by saving Paris. I'll be right back."

Rushing downstairs, she placed a few leftover croissants and a cheese danish in a white paper bag. Spotting the finished macaroons she had made, she placed one of each in the bag, too. Mari had to hold the bag with her teeth as she climbed up the ladder rungs once more.

Chat Noir accepted the bag with many rushed thank yous. His green eyes lit up as he plucked the macaroon inspired by him out of the pastry bag. "I'm flattered, Princess. Although I think your cookie version of me looks better than the real life model."

"No way," she replied with a grin, "Chat Noir is the coolest cat-themed hero in France!"

"There's only one cat-themed hero in France, Marinette."

She gestured to him. "Yes, because nobody wants to compete with someone they'll surely lose to. Also, you're killing me with the suspense, kitty. Eat the macaroon already! I need to know how it tastes!"

Chuckling at the bouncing Mari, Chat popped the cookie in his mouth. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, "That's amazing! I might have to stop by for more...but for now, I'll let you get back to sleep. Goodnight, Princess, and thank you for the treats."

Watching as he launched himself into the glittering city, Marinette lingered for a moment in the cool night breeze. Upon hearing the chime of her bedroom clock, the teen smiled softly. Marinette could imagine the distant Eiffel Tower being showered in sparkling lights, marking the turn of the hour. She could not recall how frequently Chat Noir visited her balcony nowadays, each time short and usually filled with his rumbling stomach. The latter worried her; was the boy under that mask being fed at all? 

Turning from the twinkling city lights and stars, Marinette descended her ladder for the last time that night and stumbled into bed. Sleep claimed her soon afterwards.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a new akuma appears over the weekend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I'm back with a new chapter, yay! The next one shouldn't be too long of a wait since I already know what I'm going to do with it. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> *Also to everyone who was enjoying my Adrienette April submissions, I'm so sorry I stopped. I couldn't get them all done. Maybe I'll still try to complete and post them?*

He did not know whether it was the blinding sun, the uncomfortable heat, or the cat-like alterations in his body, but Adrien was having difficulty focusing on his photo shoot. Each pose was awkward and stiff and no matter how hard he tried, one of his eyes twitched when he forced a smile onto his face. To make matters worse, Adrien's camera man was managing to wrinkle the wrinkles in his forehead. 

"No, no! I am not feeling the energy from you today! Try loosening your posture a bit!"

The blond model huffed and actively attempted to relax his muscles. Something was clearly bothering his camera man before he came to work today; his voice was gravelly. Be it from shouting or something else, Adrien didn't know. The photographer had even forgotten his camera today, so they were experimenting with polaroid images. Today was the day Gabriel would be visiting to inspect his work, too. If it was deemed under his standards...the poor guy would most likely be fired on the spot. Adrien hated that about his father; Gabriel did not value his employees enough, and gave them little incentive to continue working for him aside from the fact that he would refuse to refer them to another employer if they quit. 

The teenage boy had found quite a few things he hated about his father within the past years. Ever since she...disappeared, he had changed dramatically. Adrien had been told the same thing by Nathalie every time he asked why his father had grown cold: it is difficult to raise a child on your own, especially if you have a large, successful business to run as well. He remembered the day Nathalie was hired - partly because she so distinctively stated that she would serve as nothing more than a walking schedule. The woman had barely aged a day in the past couple of years, donning the same, red streak in her dark, blue-black hair since day one. Adrien had long since sloughed off the idea of her being his beloved Ladybug. 

Upon asking Nathalie her opinion of Paris, she answered coolly, "The smell of pigeons pervades this entire city, and I have had many close calls with motorcyclists. I'm not too keen on it."

A very cruel response, one Ladybug would not dare utter. He knew his partner well enough at this point to understand that she loved this city as much as he did. Speaking of her, neither him nor his dotted companion had noticed any akuma activity since Mlle. Shakespeare. Mlle. Laurent had written up and read aloud her formal apology to his English class the very next day, her eyes rimmed with red and glistening with tears. Most of the class sympathized with her, having been in her situation once before, and Kim himself approached her to apologize for his misdemeanor.

"Mr. Agreste, I cannot wait here all day for a pose. Your father needs to see quality in this season, so focus up!"

Muttering an apology, he readjusted into a more relaxed, dynamic pose and examined the cologne bottle in his hand. Fragrance of Paris, it read. He chuckled, thinking about Nathalie's past complaint. Would the Fragrance of Paris smell like pigeon droppings for her? He doubted that would sell very well. 

"Yes, good! Hold that pose for a moment...wonderful. You can take a quick break while these shots are developing."

A rare opportunity. Not needing any more encouragement, Adrien lounged on the park bench he had been posing near. Drowsiness began pulling at his consciousness, and before he knew it his eyes were closed. His late night excursion yesterday had stolen some of his precious hours of sleep, although that did not matter as much, seeing as it was Saturday. He barely got the chance to warm up his muscles before he was ordered to shift his weight and move his arm differently for each position. It seemed like the camera man had come as unorganized and nervous as Adrien had. Perhaps their emotions were feeding off each other. Hearing the soft, familiar grumble of his father's sleek car, Adrien remained seated but opened his eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Gabriel shouted as he exited his vehicle. 

Uh oh, this was going sour quickly. Jumping to his feet, the blond quickly stammered, "His shots are developing! We had to take a quick break. See? They're polaroids!"

"Why, " his father hissed, "are you using such vintage crap? Do you know how much of my money you are wasting with this little experiment of yours?"

The photographer appeared to have been physically slapped by the fashion designer's outburst. "M-Monsieur Agreste, I believe I've captured what you wanted in a trending format! The public will enjoy- "

Snatching a photo from the shaking man, Gabriel frowned at it before tearing the polaroid in two pieces. "I am not looking for public appeal, I expect you to deliver industry-standard images I can publish! This has shown me exactly how you use my son's time and my funds. As of today, consider yourself unemployed."

"Papa!" Adrien exclaimed with horror.

"No words out of you. Get in the car, we're leaving. I have to find a replacement right away."

Wincing as his father slammed the car door behind him and sped off, Adrien trudged miserably to his bodyguard's vehicle and clambered inside. He could only spare one glance at the heartbroken photographer before the tinted windows slid up, cutting off his view of the man. 

Whirling on Nathalie, Adrien cried, "That wasn't right! You know that!"

Her pale eyes widened for a moment before replying, "He was not cut out for the job. Such emotion behind the event is unnecessary."

The boy almost tricked himself into thinking he saw the slightest hint of guilt in his father's secretary. But he blinked, and the illusion that she cared was gone. Replaced by her typical, emotionless state. Resting his chin in his hand, Adrien aimed his gaze out the window with a sigh. 

It was not long before their jet black limo was pulling up to a stop in front of the Agreste Manor. Hopping out of the car, Adrien hurried through the main foyer of his house and shut his bedroom door behind him, pointedly locking it. One of the requests his father had granted for him. Spotting Plagg nestled in the pile of blankets on his bed, Adrien felt the corners of his mouth twist upward into the first real smile he had today.

"What are you smirking at, boy?" the kwami grunted.

Moment over. Flinging himself onto his couch, Adrien murmured, "My father fired our camera man today. He's been working for us for so long, I don't know what he will do now that he isn't..."

"Ah, so you're feeling bad for someone else. That doesn't answer my question." The tiny god floated over to the boy.

"I was smiling because for a second, you looked cute," The blond commented with a grin, "I guess it was my imagination. Anyway, back to the photographer. Do you think he'll become akumatized?"

Plagg yawned, perching on the table in front of the couch Adrien was slumped on. "Boy, I do not know if this man will succumb to Hawkmoth's influence. The best way to find out- " he enunciated his words by hitting the power button on the tv remote, " -is to observe the news feed."

Adrien simply bit his lip in reply, eyes fixated on the screen. Nadja was discussing music with Jagged Stone, and he appeared to be accompanied with Luka, Juleka, and their mother. Luka...that name brought up unwanted memories. When he had first appeared at their school, Luka immediately sought after Marinette and would spend copious amounts of time with her in and out of school. When he eventually asked her out, Adrien swore time slowed down...until Mari had rejected him graciously. He still did not fully understand why he experienced such a rush of relief from that rejection. 

"Kid! Quit spacing out, we gotta situation!" Plagg's yowl snapped the model into focus.

The tv screen showed Nadja frantically shouting, "There's been an akuma attack at our studio! Ladybug, Chat Noir, help- "

The feed cut out. Whipping out his cellphone, Adrien shot a quick warning text to Ladybug before he exclaimed, "Plagg, claws out!"

\---

Panting, Chat Noir came to a halt at the entrance to the park he had been modeling in not even twenty minutes prior to this event. He easily spotted his partner and scrambled over to her side - which was up against a giant, sturdy billboard of him that had come crashing down from a rooftop. 

Upon noticing him, Ladybug gritted out, "This better go fast. I am NOT woken up at ten in the morning, ever! Under any circumstances!"

Indeed, Ladybug's suit was fiercely orange today.

"Yikes," Chat replied with a smirk, "I knew my bugaboo wasn't a morning person, but that was intense. What's this guy's deal?"

The heroine shifted her weight onto her other foot while muttering, "Something about being fired. He calls himself the Polarizer, and his akumatized object is a polaroid camera."

Peeking over the billboard for a second, Chat murmured, "That's Gabriel Agreste's photographer. Er, more like ex- photographer. So, what does his camera do?"

As if fate itself was answering his question, a woman suddenly came sprinting across the street and into the park. From the tell-tale gradient red hair, framed glasses and eager expression, Chat assumed that the phone-wielding civilian must be Alya Cesaire. His body tensed, ready to vault over the protective poster and protect her. Polarizer, it seemed, noticed her, too. Aiming his camera at the girl, he snapped a photo.

Chat and Ladybug watched in horror as Alya was shot with a polaroid picture, frozen in a model pose.

"Picture purrfect," the blond cracked.

Noting the death glare that he received from that, Chat Noir refrained from making another joke. He had forgotten Ladybug's close tie to the reporter now stuck in place. Glancing at Polarizer again, he barely ducked down in time to avoid the polaroid picture hurtling past his face.

Ladybug gripped his arm as she hissed, "Careful! He'll be ready for us whenever we pop up. I need to use my power to get us out of this. Lucky cha- "

"My lady, wait a moment." Chat interrupted, "If you use that now we may be stuck for good! Let's try the good old distract and snatch method. It worked with the last akumatized victim."

"That's exactly why we can't do that! Hawkmoth will be expecting such a move."

Winking, the cat-themed super hero swung himself over the poster before Ladybug could interrupt again...and managed to dive off to the left as another picture went whizzing by. Brows furrowed, he faked to the right and banked left, sprinting towards the camera man. Just as his outstretched claws touched the surface of the camera, Chat was shot in the chest with a polaroid. 

Ladybug screeched with outrage, "Lucky charm!"

Catching the red and black framed mirror that materialized above her, the heroine launched herself over the billboard and began dashing towards Polarizer.

"Hold still! Don't you know it's hard to take action shots?!" He screamed.

"I don't give a fuck!" came Ladybug's harsh response.

Reflecting the photos that Polarizer was throwing and shooting at her, Ladybug neared the akuma and angled her mirror just right. As the polaroid struck the surface and bounced off, it hit Polarizer, freezing him in place with a cry. She smashed the polaroid camera on the concrete, catching and cleansing the akuma. Ladybug then returned everything to normal, including the akumatized man and her two friends.

Chat Noir held out his hand to fist bump, but the crimson clad girl yanked him into a tight hug instead. "You foolish cat," she growled, "you scared me half to death!" Pulling away so their eyes met, she continued, "Stop putting yourself in danger!"

With wide, green eyes, he merely murmured, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it bothered you so much..."

She opened her mouth as if to say something more, but the shrill beeping of their miraculous cut her off. Frowning, she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it before leaping off into Paris. Chat Noir stood there a moment longer, dumbfoundedly touching the spot on his arm where she had a moment ago. Remembering suddenly that he was about to detransform, the leather-clad super hero maneuvered himself to an empty alley before his miraculous power wore off. Catching Plagg, he tucked the cat kwami into his shirt pocket and headed for home.

"Looks like Ladybug is growing closer to you, boy." Plagg muttered from within his shirt.

Adrien's eyes gleamed as he asked, "Really? You think so?" 

"No. Now give me some camembert."

\---

Marinette strode into the gelato parlor quietly, waving as Alya spotted her. It was Sunday, which meant the entire class from their middle school would be gathering to study and complete homework at the library. A few months into their weekly tradition, Marinette and some friends had started getting together before the massive homework cram with the intention to relax and prepare themselves for the work load. The raven-haired teen ordered and paid for a scoop of stracciatella gelato before planting herself in the plastic seat next to her best friend. 

Mari and Alya were frequently accompanied by Juleka, Rose, Mylene, and Alix. Today, all except Mylene had appeared. Their classmate was most likely on a date with Ivan.

As Mari sat down, Alya commented, "About time you showed up. We were about ready to write you off as a no-show for today!"

"And miss gelato?" Marinette scoffed, "Nothing could come between me and dessert!"

Alix snorted, "You've got that right. I've never been around a girl who eats more sweets than you." 

Juleka and Rose were staying quiet, sharing a scoop of strawberry gelato. Marinette paused momentarily to observe as Juleka murmured something that made Rose giggle. They were truly beginning to rival Mylene and Ivan for the cutest couple in Paris.

Redirecting her focus, Marinette replied, "In my defense, I also thoroughly enjoy salads."

"That's probably how you keep your thin physique." 

"She exercises pretty frequently, which also helps balance out the amount sugar she's consuming." Alya piped in.

Taking a bite of her gelato, Marinette scowled. "You guys like ice cream and other sweet treats just as much as I do."

"Mm, I think Rose might challenge your position as treat queen." Juleka quietly added.

The entire group was grinning now, apart from a flushed Rose. Taking the pause in conversation as an opportunity, Marinette finished off her cold dessert. 

"Alright, now that everyone has eaten, let's head over to the library. Most of the study group should already be there." Alya stood and helped clean the napkins and paper cups off the table before continuing with, "Oh, and I hear Adrien will be there today."

Marinette was zooming past her friends out the door in seconds.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Sunday study scene!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you the next update would come fairly soon :) I hope you enjoy!!

By the time Marinette and her group of friends arrived at the library, something interesting was already going down.

"Nath, let me borrow that book you're using." 

Not bothering to glance up, the red-haired teen responded, "Maybe if you ask politely."

Chloe pouted and crossed her arms. "I will do no such thing."

"Then you can't borrow this book."

After a moment of drawn-out silence, Chloe gritted out, "May I please use the book you have, Nathaniel?"

"...No. I'm not done with it."

This earned a very irritated whine from the blonde girl.

"Wow," Mylene whispered from across the table they all were sitting at, "Chloe and Nathanael are talking so casually! I thought he hated her..."

Truthfully, Marinette had been thinking the exact same thing. Since when did Nathanael hang out with the devil in the flesh? 

Alya chipped in, "I heard that over the summer, he and Chloe ran into each other a bunch at Nathanael's job. Somehow it sparked a strange friendship between them!"

"I think the dude's got it bad." Nino commented between yawns.

In an accusatory tone that was not quite questioning, Alya hissed, "You stayed up late again!"

Nino merely shrugged. Subconsciously dragging a finger over the page of her textbook, Marinette turned her attention to Juleka's older brother and was surprised to find him staring at Kagami. 

Speaking of Kagami...there seemed to be a few additions to their usual study group, including Lila. The brunette was glaring daggers in Mari's direction, coiled up in an arm chair. Quite snake-like, actually. 

Noting the fuzzy sound of people chatting, the raven-haired teenager focused back on her friends.

Max was saying, "I'm just saying you could've at least told us you had a girlfriend before waltzing in with her."

"I'm surprised you were able to get a girlfriend, Kim." Alix snickered.

"I think he's amazing..." a girl with short red hair murmured.

Scooting closer to Alya, Marinette inquired, "Who's that girl next to Kim?"

"That's Ondine! Kim's apparently dating her now."

So that's who Max and Alix were teasing him about. Taking a closer look, Mari noticed teal eyes and many freckles on Ondine's face. She was wearing dark, capri-cut leggings under a short, turquoise skirt and a chocolate brown sweater. The library tended to be heated more than most other places, so Ondine had her sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

Marinette had to reign in her urge to freak out as Adrien suddenly appeared from behind a bookshelf. Walking their way, he sat down next to Marinette on the left - which was also across from Nino. Winking at her friend, Alya subtly moved to sit next to her boyfriend and in front of Mari. Whether she wanted to give Marinette the space with Adrien or sit next to Nino more, the teenage heroine could not tell. 

"Hello Mari," Adrien greeted.

"Hi," she replied.

"Eulgh," Alix groaned with a crinkled nose, "you two are so formal. Lighten up!"

Raising an eyebrow, Adrien retorted, "I think Mari and I speak perfectly fine towards each other." He then averted his gaze back to his pig-tailed classmate. "Did you bring physics homework or English today?"

"Both," Marinette grumbled. Shifting in her seat, she patted a stack of paper on the desk before continuing with, "No matter how much I study, I still have difficulty understanding this material. Thank you for helping me with it."

"No problem! What unit are you on?"

Marinette opened a stapled packet to the third page, responding, "We're on the light unit."

"Mm, not a light read, is it?"

Eyes widening at the quip, Marinette snorted, "No, it's not."

This seemed to be the wrong move, because it only encouraged the boy further. 

"I guess I'll have to reflect on what I learned." 

Nino sighed, "Dude, have mercy. Your puns are awful."

"Horrendous," Alix tagged on.

"They could probably kill someone," agreed Ivan.

Dramatically placing a hand on his chest, Adrien gasped, "Is this really what you all think? Am I not punny?"

"You have a few golden moments," Marinette conceded, "but they mainly just hurt."

Going limp, Adrien slid down until his was slouched in the seat. The entire group chuckled at his display, which seemed to brighten his face a little. Smirking, Marinette glanced over at Chloe...and the smile dropped off her face. The mayor's daughter was talking with Lila.

Alya seemed to notice this, too, because she quickly muttered, "Five euros says they get in a fight within two minutes."

"I'd say five euros for one minute," Nino countered.

"Guys," Marinette hissed, "they're going to come up with some evil plan to kill me!"

"I doubt it. Look, here comes Chloe now. Nino, pay up."

The boy begrudgingly handed his girlfriend the coins as Chloe sauntered over. Preparing for the worst, Marinette focused on her notes.

"I don't think Lila is a very nice person." the blonde stated.

Eyebrows quirked upwards, Mari stared in disbelief as Chloe Bourgeois glanced at her and said, "I wouldn't take what she says about you to heart. Lila is obviously a liar with nothing better to do."

"I never thought I'd see the day where Chloe and Marinette actually had something in common..." Adrien chuckled as the mayor's daughter slunk off towards Luka.

Juleka narrowed her eyes and muttered, "I'm not a fan of how infatuated that girl is with my brother. Doesn't Chloe realize he's into Kagami and that she's stringing Nathanael along?"

Watching Luka quietly interact with a flushed Chloe, Rose commented, "I think this may be good for her. Love is a really powerful feeling; it might change Chloe for the better!"

Considering this for a moment, Marinette swiveled her paper so that both she and Adrien could see the worksheet. "I'm confused as to what law they're referring to here."

"That's talking about how light rays reflect off of plastic shapes, so it is most likely referring to how one can predict where the rays will appear based on the normal line." 

"Ew, work. Why can't we just keep gossiping about the love triangle between Nath, Chloe, and Luka?" Alix groaned.

Not bothering to glance up from her book, Alya stated, "Because today is literally designated for study time. Also, you forgot Kagami in your equation."

"That's sort of forgetting Sabrina, too." Rose murmured.

True enough, the red-haired girl was glaring at Luka from behind a bookshelf nearby. Everyone in the school, except for Chloe, was aware that Sabrina's intense loyalty to the blonde was not simply because of their friendship. Marinette sighed, jotting down what Adrien had mentioned on her sheet of paper. She could recognize unrequited love better than anyone - and she saw it in Sabrina's eyes when she stared at Chloe Bourgeois. Marinette knew that feeling well. 

Standing, she moved over to a bookshelf near the back of the library and began searching for physics-related material. As she started reaching for the spine of a novel, Marinette's phone chirped at her. Noticing Chat Noir had texted her, she quickly turned off her ringtone volume before responding.

CN: What are you up to, my lady?

LB: Can't Chat, Chaton. I'm working

Slapping her phone shut, Mari retrieved her book and returned to her seat. She noted that Adrien's eyes were fairly wide as she sat down.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, um. Nothing really?" he replied with a half-hearted smile. "I'm just curious as to whose phone went off."

Uh oh. Marinette definitely did not want to take the blame for that. 

Scratching her arm, Alya interrupted, "Hey Mari, have you gotten any work done for the fashion contest you entered?"

"Not really." Mari responded. Grateful for the distraction, she set down her book before continuing with, "I have come up with a few new ideas, though."

Without hesitation, Alya lunged for her friend's tablet. After a few minutes of her searching through files, Alya exclaimed, "Ooh! Girl, these are fantastic!"

Upon asking to see, Alya showed Adrien, Nino, Rose, Juleka, and Mylene her findings. They were the sketches that Marinette had come up with in her English class.

"I love Chat Noir's design!" Mylene mentioned cheerfully.

Adrien commented, "Ladybug's jacket is pretty creative, too. Although, I'm not seeing anything done for Rena Rouge?"

"Yeah! You gotta get the new superhero in!" Alya cried.

Marinette gestured to the first jacket, saying, "I was thinking of what to do for her, too. See, this was supposed to be hers. I just... haven't fully detailed it yet."

"We haven't really gotten much homework done," Max interjected while adjusting his glasses.

True. The group was so caught up in the class drama that nobody was focusing on working. Finishing off her physics work and starting on her English workbook, Marinette waited until everyone was quietly focused before dragging her tablet towards her. She began sketching a fox tail design on the third, untouched jacket design in the line-up. The collar rested flat against the jacket, folded over the way most suit jacket collars were. Marinette made the collar appear to be fox ears, and hinted at some fur on the hem of the sleeves. Glancing at the first jacket she drew, the teen hesitantly sketched a butterfly next to it. It was so harsh and angled...the way she thought of Hawkmoth. Perhaps when she met Nooroo, her opinion of the butterfly miraculous would change. For now, all she knew was that the poor kwami was trapped in Hawkmoth's clutches. Carefully powering off her tablet, Marinette tried to shift her attention back to her work, but it glued to Chloe, Luka, Nathanael, and Kagami. The four of them were all sitting near each other, talking. Chloe and Nathanael were speaking enthusiastically, while Luka and Kagami replied a lot quieter. The pig-tailed girl could not help but realize that when Chloe and Nathanael were speaking to each other, Kagami grew unhappy. Luka stared at the fencer a bit too long to be anything other than a crush. 

So, they were all stuck in a love square. Marinette could not imagine how hard it would be to get involved in something so complicated as that.

The designer's focus dragged towards Sabrina as the red-headed girl approached Chloe suddenly. "I need to tell you something."

Appearing bored, Chloe waved a hand at her. "Go ahead, what is it?"

"I've been thinking about this for awhile, but... I'm sorry, can I talk to you in private?" Sabrina's voice had grown soft and shaky.

The blonde stood from her chair, saying, "Let's make this quick."

Watching them trudge off, Marinette wracked her brain for an idea of what they might be talking about. Sabrina seemed shy and nervous, from the amount of fidgeting she was doing.

Rose spoke as realization struck Marinette, "Looks like Sabrina is finally confessing to Chloe. I hope it goes well."

"As well as it can with a girl like Chloe," Juleka amended bitterly.

As if their discussion triggered it, Sabrina came rushing up to their table in tears. She flung herself into a chair across from Rose while wailing, "I don't know what I did wrong! I was s-so loyal, I did everything she asked me to... but she still doesn't love me! And she was so mean about it!"

"When I first realized that I was bi," Rose began, "I was rejected by both boys and girls. I was even rejected by my father, who strongly believed I was simply being indecisive. The words he used to describe me..." She took a breath before continuing. "It sucks, to love someone and bare yourself before them, only to be shot down. I've experienced my fair share of unrequited love. But -" Rose took Sabrina's hands into hers, fiercely staring into her eyes, "-you have to stand up for yourself when they are unfair or cruel to you. I don't care how hard it may be, you must. They will never learn to respect you otherwise."

"Chloe won't ever speak to me again," Sabrina sighed.

Mylene murmured, "I'm not so sure about that. Here she comes now."

Visibly flinching as Chloe perched on a chair next to the red-head, the mayor's daughter commented, "What I said to you was not fair. I do like you, as a friend. I'm sorry that I can't return your feelings, as I am attracted to boys, but..." Chloe astonished the entire table as her voice turned sincere, whispering, "You are a wonderful girl, and anyone would be lucky to have you. I treasure you as my closest friend. Without having you in my life, I would be incredibly lonely. So, I hope you can forgive me enough to remain friends?"

Sobbing and allowing herself to be pulled into Chloe's hug, Sabrina cried, "Of course!"

"Alright, I have a question that needs answering," Kim interrupted, "how would you all categorize Hawkmoth, Ladybug, and Chat Noir in kiss, marry, and kill?"

Sabrina choked out, "You ruined the moment, Kim!"

"I'd obviously marry Ladybug and kill Hawkmoth." Alya mentioned while grinning. "I don't know if I want to kiss Chat Noir, though. Maybe kiss Ladybug, too?"

While gathering her supplies up into her back pack, Marinette replied, "I'd marry Chat, kill Hawkmoth, and kiss Ladybug. I gotta go, bye guys!"

The teenager skipped out of the library, unaware of the furious blush gracing Adrien's face. 

Tikki floated up towards Mari's face, giggling, "You'd kiss Ladybug, huh?"

"Yes, I would!" Marinette said.

Planting a kiss on the top of Tikki's head, the two of them chuckled and chatted nearly the entire walk back home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets some designing done before a special akuma shows up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Yes, I'm still alive, albeit barely. I started college this Fall and I am DYING so that's why the update took an eternity to come out. But I promise I'm still writing this! Love you all & hope you enjoy!

"Tikki," Marinette grumbled, "I found another one of his hairs."

Observing as the teen plucked a golden strand of Chat Noir's hair from her dark fabric, the kwami replied, "He does seem to be taking up some typical changes that occur when exposed to the miraculous for so long. You've been going through the same, haven't you?"

"I can appreciate salads more, and the Ladybug suit occasionally changes color depending on my mood when transforming. So what?" Marinette asked while pinning another piece of cloth to her dress form, "They're small changes. He seems to be going through some bigger ones, though."

The tiny goddess floated over to her partner's face, adding, "You forgot your sensitivity to temperature changes. Anyway, his shedding is actually quite normal for humans, too. I wouldn't fret about it."

Fabric in one hand, pin in the other, Marinette whined, "Yes, but what if my parents notice the hairs? I'm not blonde!"

"Tell them you've been hanging out with Chloe," Tikki suggested with a tiny smirk.

"Ugh," Marinette groaned, "anything but that. I'd almost rather tell them that Chat has been visiting my balcony frequently."

Draping the fabric over her dress form, Mari plunged another pin into the material. She only had so much time until her contest submission was due; getting this outfit fully assembled and designed would require the majority of her attention from now on. Adjusting a rogue piece of cloth, Marinette stepped back to analyze her work. The dress form had the Chat Noir-style tuxedo jacket pinned to it roughly, with the soft, tapered fabric in the back and slashes down the sleeves. Tapping her bottom lip with the end of a pencil, she sighed. While it was from her heart and fairly original, the jacket felt...dull. Boring. It was plain, a simple tuxedo jacket with two stylistic choices. It needed more...but what could she add?

"Tikki," Marinette inquired softly, "What am I missing here? This doesn't scream 'Chat Noir' or anything remotely exciting."

After pondering this for a moment, Tikki responded, "I think you've designed a great tuxedo jacket, but the prompt only required a jacket inspired by our superheroes of Paris. The material you used for this is something I don't think Chat Noir would wear, don't you agree?"

"Should I go with leather after all? It might be too similar to his actual costume..."

"You know what his costume looks like the best. Maybe adding more of him into it isn't such a bad idea?" Tikki suggested.

Peeling a blond strand of hair off her pajama shirt, Marinette quipped, "Maybe I'll add his hair to it. I certainly have enough."

The kwami remained silent, simply flying over to take another bite of her cookie. Marinette glanced up at the trapdoor leading to her balcony. The week had gone by fairly quietly, with only a few dramatic outbursts from Chloe and Lila. No akuma, much to Mari's surprise. There was usually an akuma attack at least two or three times a week; this was the longest she had gone without one since the week that Hawkmoth disappeared. Chat Noir had suggested that the supervillain might have gone on vacation. While both she and Rena Rouge found that notion amusing, Marinette had to admit that Chat's theory could hold some validity. After all, outside of their miraculous they were just normal teenagers - at least according to what the girl knew. It would not shock her if Hawkmoth, beneath his villain facade, was an average person...with above average issues, of course.

Retrieving a square scrap of black faux leather from her bin of left over fabric, Marinette pinned the leather to one side of the jacket, right over the chest. Standing back, she frowned before turning away. Enough designing for today; she needed food and some fresh air. Mari wolfed down a cookie that was sitting on a pile of them on her desk, then scurried up to her balcony with a water bottle in hand. Admiring the cool breeze and the brilliant morning sunshine, Marinette gave each of her outdoor potted plants a generous serving of water. 

While she finished up her watering, Tikki suddenly came rocketing towards Mari. "Akuma alert! Chat Noir is already on the scene and needs your help!"

"Ugh, what timing. Spots on!"

\---

Chat Noir was beginning to grow weary by the time Ladybug arrived. "Thank goodness you're here, my lady! I didn't think I'd last much longer alone."

"What's this guy's deal?" Ladybug squinted at the strangely costumed akuma before them. "He looks like..."

"An anime character?" 

"Hey! Pay attention!" the akumatized civilian protested. "Or I'll punish you in the name of the moon!"

Chat smirked as he said, "Meow this is a serious fanboy. Get it? Now? Meow?"

Ducking as a bubblegum pink wand was chucked at her head, Ladybug replied, "Kitty, will you ever stop torturing me with bad jokes?" Frowning at the akuma, she continued, "Hey! What's your name and why are you akumatized? I kind of need to wrap this up quickly, since I have a test to study for."

"I am the Manganator!" The boy called out while adjusting his glasses. "Kids at my school think I'm strange because I enjoy anime. Well, I think it's time for them to get a taste of their own medicine!"

Removing his glasses, the Manganator dashed over to a random passerby and planted the frames on their face. Instantly, they began morphing into...

"Is that Kirito from Sword Art Online?!" Chat Noir exclaimed while grabbing his baton. "Oh, I need to fight him!"

Ladybug watched in dismay as her partner ran off to duel his favored opponent. Scowling, she hardly had time to launch herself out of the way as Manganator attempted to place the glasses on her. The crimson-clad hero landed a few feet away, out of breath and at a loss for ideas. Turning to Chat Noir, she started to call his name when a large slab of metal rose up from the ground around her. Whirling around, she registered a blond braid and a long, red coat before the metal walls closed in around Ladybug and her partner. 

She ran a gloved hand down her face. "I'm going to fail my final because of a weeaboo." 

"My lady," Chat murmured sternly, "if we do not focus on capturing the akuma, there will be no final to study for."

Ladybug blinked at him, speechless. "A rare serious Chat, huh?"

He simply grinned and said, "I'm going to assume the pun was an unintentional gift. Cataclysm!"

The walls crumbled into dust. As soon as they were gone, Manganator grabbed Ladybug's face and pulled her away from Chat Noir. She noticed a flicker of the purple mask - Hawkmoth was most likely giving the akumatized boy instructions - before feeling his fingers creep up towards her ears. All the focus in Ladybug's body zeroed in on the two fingers that pinched one of her earrings. She frantically spotted Chat Noir being held back by a few anime characters, all with bright hair and varying costumes. 

Ladybug felt the tug on her earring before it fully registered what was happening. The pulling feeling echoed in her chest, as if she could physically feel the connection to her kwami being severed. Screaming, Ladybug reached up to stop Manganator, but an affected civilian held her arms at her sides while the akumatized boy continued to separate her earring from her ear. A glance down towards her arms told Ladybug that her transformation was slipping away. Her hands and the cuffs of her sleeves were becoming visible.

As suddenly as it had started, the grip on her arms and earring disappeared. Chat Noir had tackled both the civilian and Manganator, giving the heroine time to secure the earring in her ear. That had been too close for comfort; had Chat needed to leave because of his earlier use of Cataclysm, she would have been revealed to the world and...Marinette would have lost Tikki to Hawkmoth. 

Furious, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo into the air and used her Lucky Charm power. Catching a steaming tea pot in her hands, she glanced directly at Manganator and could not help but giggle.

"Kitty, would you do the honors?"

Accepting the pot of tea from her, Chat Noir's grin grew. He sprinted straight at Manganator and held the spout close to the boy's face. Watching as the steam fogged up his glasses, Ladybug hurried over and plucked the spectacles from the Manganator. She then snapped the frames in half and dealt with the remaining akuma as it attempted to flutter away. 

When her restorative powers finished replacing everything back to the way it was, Ladybug and Chat Noir found themselves in front of a young boy. He appeared to be no older than a middle schooler, and attached to his face were a pair of broken glasses. 

Leaning down and touching his shoulder while he sniffled, Ladybug mentioned softly, "I used to be bullied a lot, too. It was only when I met my friends and began standing up for myself that it stopped mattering to me. I think you're worth more than the cruel words and actions of another person, don't you?"

The boy gazed up at her in awe. Wiping away his tears, he nodded hesitantly. Ladybug smiled and helped him to his feet before fist bumping her partner.

"Uh...I actually remember seeing something while I was akumatized." The boy muttered softly.

Both heroes faced him, eyes wide. 

Adjusting his glasses, the boy explained, "It was dark in his room, but I managed to see his face. I think Hawkmoth had blue and red colors in his costume. That and...I could've sworn I could see the Eiffel Tower from his window."

Chat and Ladybug exchanged a worried glance. Thanking the boy, the scarlet-clad heroine led her partner to a roof top a few blocks away from the formerly akumatized civilian. 

Landing on the hard roof with a deafening thud, Ladybug immediately started pacing. Red and blue in his costume could mean any number of things, but the most concerning idea...

"Could Hawkmoth be in possession of a second Miraculous?" Chat Noir unintentionally voiced Ladybug's inner thoughts. "Can you even use two Miraculous at once?"

"Not...not safely, and not that I know of." Pinching the bridge of her nose and pausing in her warpath, the heroine stated flatly, "I wish his comment about seeing the Eiffel Tower from his window helped, but there are so many buildings that could be referring to."

"We can't just casually purr-use a super villain's lair, either. It would be far too dangerous."

The two of them went silent for a moment. It was true that Hawkmoth was growing more ambitious and dangerous in his conquest. Watching as her partner sprawled out onto a sunny patch of the roof top, Ladybug grinned. She sat down beside him and began subconsciously running her gloved fingers through his hair, which elicited soft rumbling from him. 

Begrudgingly, Ladybug let out a short sigh of defeat. "We're going to have to talk to Master Fu about this."

Chat nodded gently, as if he was trying to avoid disrupting the finger-brushing he was receiving.

"He's not going to be happy that we still don't know each other out of our hero identities." She placed her head into her free hand.

"That almost sounds like you want to reveal your secret identity to me, my lady." The blond boy lying next to her smirked. And then frowned as he hissed through a breath, "You almost did get revealed today. Unintentionally. I tried to get to you as fast as I could, but..."

She smacked his arm. "If you're about to say that you failed as my partner, you're never going to hear the end of it from me."

Chuckling, Chat Noir opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the beeping of both his and her miraculous. Ladybug stood, removing her fingers from her partner's blond hair - much to Chat's chagrin - and waved goodbye before launching herself towards her house.

As she moved, Ladybug muttered, "We need to see Master Fu right now, Tikki. Hold on just a bit longer."

Passing over her balcony, the scarlet-clad heroine sprinted the last few blocks to Master Fu's residence. She barely made it through the door before her transformation fell away. Exhausted, Marinette caught a very irritated looking Tikki and continued inside. 

"You...should be here with...Chat N-Noir." The tiny red goddess scolded.

Marinette winced. "I know. I just need to talk to him- " 

Pausing at the paper doors separating the teenager from Master Fu, Marinette lightly touched the wooden frame. Then, she pushed the sliding doors away, announced that she was inside his tearoom, and sat down on a soft cushion. Clad in his usual shirt and khaki shorts, Master Fu entered a moment later and perched on a cushion opposite her. 

He did not look pleased as he inquired, "Why are you here alone? Where is your partner?"

"I needed to talk to you alone." Before Master Fu could speak more, Marinette added, "I am not here to discuss today's akuma; Chat Noir and I will be meeting with you later to talk about that. I...I need to know how to better protect Tikki from what happened today."

"You mean from the akumatized civilian's attempts to forcefully remove your earrings?"

Marinette nodded. "It's happened too many times to go ignored."

The older man sat silently, deep in thought. While he remained quiet, Wayzz brought a cookie over to Tikki. She ate quickly and thanked her friend. 

"You could tape your ears and say you have an infection." Master Fu suggested after a long couple of minutes. "Although that is a more temporary solution."

Marinette grimaced. "I will do that for this week. When I come back with Chat later on, we will most likely arrive still transformed. Is that..."

"Marinette," the man said firmly, "I am here to guide you and your partner through this battle with Hawkmoth. When you decide that you are ready to reveal your identity to your partner is up to you, not me nor anyone else. I will not turn you two away when you come to see me." He then frowned. "However, the longer you two stay so secretive with each other, the more your partnership is limited. There's only so much you two can do when the both of you stay so far away from each other."

The young woman took a moment to absorb Master Fu's wise advice. Standing, Marinette thanked and said farewell to her mentor before setting off for home. On her walk back to the family bakery, she shot a text to Chat Noir.

LB: What time are you available to meet with Master Fu this week?

It took less than a minute for Marinette to get a reply.

CN: I should have some free time in the afternoon tomorrow~ Say, you don't happen to wear a charm bracelet, do you?

Marinette felt her blood turn to ice. Absently brushing a finger tip against the bracelet Adrien had given her for her birthday a few years ago, she frowned. How could he know? Unless...

The events of the day came crashing back into her head like waves on a beach. The partial de-transformation must have revealed enough of her arm to expose the bracelet.

LB: I had one made by my friend a long time ago. Did you see it today..?

CN: Unintentionally, yes. I would never snoop in my Lady's business without purr-mission!

LB: Can we meet at Master Fu's home at 2:30 tomorrow?

Marinette was still staring at her phone screen and moving when she slammed into the glass door of her family's bakery. The bell attached to the doorknob jingled as she backed up, rubbed her sore nose, and opened the door with a muffled curse. Meeting the disapproving stare of her mother, Marinette smiled weakly and apologized.

She was moving up the stairs to her bedroom when her phone meowed - curtesy of Marinette changing her partner's notification noise earlier that week.

CN- Sounds purrfect to me, my lady!

\---

The air was so tense it could be cut with a knife and served on a porcelain plate.

At least, that was what went through Ladybug's head as she simmered in the thick silence that now rested between her partner, Master Fu, and herself. Her head was aching - another treat, along side the theory she had just unpacked for Fu. Chat Noir was thumping his leg idly and breathing in a way Ladybug could only describe as panting. She had noticed that he only panted when he was too hot or stressed out. 

Wayzz quietly offered the two heroes more jasmine tea, which Ladybug sipped on gratefully. Chat Noir picked up the cup and stared into the reflection in the pale liquid.

"This is... highly disturbing news." Master Fu murmured after what seemed like an eternity. "You're certain that is what he said he saw?"

Ladybug nodded grimly. "The boy clearly stated that he thought he saw him using the peacock miraculous."

"Could he be using both at one time? Is... is that even a possibility?" Chat inquired.

Master Fu frowned. "No. Nobody is capable of wielding the power of two miraculous at once; it would shred the body and soul permanently. Obviously he is in possession of the peacock, though how it is being used is unknown."

The former silence settled over the trio once more. 

"I have something I'd like to bring up," Ladybug mentioned after a moment. "This news is bad - enough so that I want to propose that we bring Rena Rouge onto the team for good."

Master Fu failed to hide the shock from his face. "She's only used it a few times, Ma- Ladybug."

Trying to ignore the slip in words, she countered, "That's because she's only been needed on a few occasions. Besides, she's been the perfect hero, both in and out of costume."

"I think I agree with Ladybug on this one, Master." Chat Noir cut in.

Thinking for a minute, Master Fu said, "If you two are unanimous in this decision, I suppose I will give her a chance. But I want a nominee for my own apprentice in return. Someone who can be trusted to protect the miraculous and defend his or her friends. Since Ladybug chose last time, we'll let Chat Noir decide."

He went serious, stewing in his thoughts for a moment. Someone protective...someone they could trust to be loyal, no matter what. 

Someone like- "Nino!"

Ladybug's blue eyes widened. "Nino Lahiffe?"

"Yeah!" Chat Noir grinned. "If anyone is loyal and protective, it's got to be Nino Lahiffe. What do you think, LB?"

Her answering smile made Chat want to swoon. "I think Nino is perfect for the job. Well, Master Fu? How about it?"

He had turned his back on them a few seconds before the answer. Turning to face them, Master Fu nodded and placed a familiar black, hexagonal box on the table in front of Ladybug. "Send him my way soon, and please give Rena Rouge my regards."

The two heroes stood and bowed before exiting Master Fu's house. Making their way up to the roof, Chat opened his mouth to say something when Ladybug gasped.

"That's it!" She turned her blue eyes on him with a grin. "Pockets!! I mean, I could add more metal detailing, too, but the leather could be accent material..."

"Uhh...my Lady? I don't follow."

Still smiling broadly, Ladybug pulled her partner into a brief, tight hug. "I have to go right now, before the idea escapes me. Text me if you need anything!" 

Chat Noir found himself alone on the roof, chuckling and watching as Ladybug's scarlet form disappeared into the glittering night. Then, he frowned. He had to head home now - or rather, he had to return to the house in which he dwelled. It was the least favorite part of his day, seeing his father and...Nathalie. Together. Maybe it made him a horrible son for not supporting his father's recovery. Nevertheless, Adrien did not think he could ever be happy when he was dating his assistant. Nathalie was always cold, calculating, reserved. Nothing like his mother, who always reminded him of warm sunshine. Hell, they could be the moon and sun in comparison. 

Besides, after all he'd been through with his father...Adrien felt like sometimes he did not care if Gabriel was happy or not. One thing, Adrien knew for certain; returning to the house was not like coming home. It was more like coming back to a prison cell.

Shaking the negative thought from his head, Chat Noir extended his baton and launched himself towards his father's house.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir have a meeting with Master Fu to discuss the recent changes to their bodies - along with a bit of history of the previous miraculous wielders. Marinette gets a surprise visit from a friend later on that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am alive. No, I didn't mean for this chapter to be completed so late. College really wormed its way into my life and sucked all of my free time away. Regardless, I'm pleased to have a new chapter finished and ready for reading! Hope you enjoy <3

Adrien was finishing up his daily scroll through the Ladyblog when Plagg came floating up to his face. "What's up? Do you need more cheese?"

"While some Camembert would be lovely, that's not why I'm interrupting your ritual stalking of your partner." Plagg plowed on before Adrien could protest, "I've been noticing quite a few changes happening to you lately. Are you...feeling okay?"

The model frowned. "I'm feeling fine. I do have a bunch of questions regarding that, though. Like what's up with the sweaty hands? The panting? Why do I constantly feel the need to get clean?"

"Not what I meant, but oh well. Those are typical changes that Cat miraculous wielders go through. It's similar to human puberty."

Adrien wrinkled his nose at the mention of puberty. "What did you mean to ask, then?"

"It was more regarding your pops." Plagg narrowed his green eyes at the blond boy in front of him. "You two have been much more estranged lately."

Spinning his chair around to face the windows, Adrien sagged. Even after three years, he could still remember the bars confining him in his room from the Sandman akuma. Be it bars, chains, or constricting metal walls, the teen had nightmares about being trapped in this house almost every night since the event. The worst had driven him from sleep in sweat and tears. 

Adrien crossed his arms and said, "The closer my father gets to me, the more he studies my miraculous. I need to keep my distance so he doesn't figure out who I am. Besides," He groaned, "I hate seeing him with Nathalie."

"You're being childish about him dating his secretary. These pent up emotions could get you akumatized."

"Yes," Adrien hissed through his teeth, "I know, Plagg. But no matter how hard I try to support him, I just keep thinking about how much he probably tells her about my mom. How much he's keeping from me. It makes me so mad!"

Plagg flew close to Adrien's ring. "It's almost 12:30 - let's go talk to Master Fu. I have wanted you to discuss your recent developments with him for awhile now, and there's no better time like the present."

"You just want his stash of camembert." Smirking, Adrien transformed into Chat Noir and slipped out through his window. 

He did not forget to leave a note on his desk, just in case Nathalie or his father came in and discovered him missing. The consequences of that would be...catastrophic. 

Propelling himself out of his bedroom window, Chat Noir gracefully and effectively made his way to Master Fu's apartment. Smoothing his hair at the doorway, the superhero rapped his knuckles against the door three times before taking a step back... directly into somebody.

Hearing a familiar yelp of surprise, Chat whirled around and placed his hands on his partner's shoulders to steady her. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright, my Lady?"

"I'm fine, you worry-wart." Ladybug replied. "Why are you so early, though? Our group meeting with Fu isn't for another half-hour."

"I could ask you the same thing." Chat Noir retorted with a grin.

Tucking a rogue strand of her hair behind her ear, the young woman exhaled forcefully. "I have some questions I would like to ask him."

Hearing the door creak open, both heroes turned and faced their mentor. The elder man simply waved them inside and shut the door behind the two teens. "I'm surprised to see you two already; has something urgent come up?"

"Actually, no. But I was hoping to ask you a few questions, if you wouldn't mind answering them." Ladybug mentioned.

Master Fu moved over to a brewed pot of tea. Bringing it over to the table the three of them used for discussing miraculous-related business, he gestured with his chin for the pair to sit. When they were cross-legged on the carpet and both had steaming cups of tea in front of them, Fu regarded the crimson-clad superhero. "Please, ask your questions. I will answer to the best of my ability."

"Well, for starters, I have been experiencing...changes lately. Why are they just appearing now?" 

Chat's vivid green eyes focused on the girl to his right. It was amusing that they had both arrived early to ask about the same thing.

Fu frowned. I'm afraid you will have to be more specific about which changes you mean."

"You know... my hero-related changes!" Ladybug threw out her hands with exasperation. "I'm too cold or too hot frequently, I'm suddenly obsessed with house plants, and my suit is constantly reacting to my emotional state. It's exhausting!"

This outburst elicited a hearty chuckle from the older man. Once he had caught his breath, Master Fu said, "While I should be more reserved with my amusement, I hope you realize that these changes are extremely normal for miraculous wielders. The temperature sensitivity and heightened affinity towards caring for plants are the most common side effects of using the Ladybug miraculous for multiple years. For example, I move much slower than I used to - and that is not entirely because of my age." 

"So my changes are normal, too? The constant overheating and desire to chase laser dots, I mean." Chat Noir inquired.

At the same moment, Ladybug asked, "Will I grow antennae? Or worse, wings?!"

Master Fu's eyes widened. "The alterations you experience are not out of the ordinary, Chat Noir. And no, Ladybug, you will not grow antennae. Wings, however, are an extremely rare possibility. Only three prior Ladybugs have formed wings on their suits."

Glancing over at the leather-clad boy beside her, Ladybug asked softly, "What about the history of our predecessors? How were they with...openly sharing their identities?"

Green and brown eyes blinked at her in surprise. The young woman merely took a sip of her tea to hide her shaking hands.

"Well, there were quite a few cases where Ladybug and Chat Noir knew each other in and out of costume - either platonically, or more often, romantically."

Chat shot a smirk dripping with satisfaction in her direction. 

"However, almost as often as they fell in love, Ladybug and Chat Noir were prone to having the worst fights and many ended up estranged for the rest of their lives." Upon seeing the color drain from both heroes' faces, Fu cleared his throat. "In the end, they were frequently brought back together through mutual acquaintances. The point is, when they shared their identities with each other, their trust in each other grew."

Scratching at a spot on her suit, Ladybug stayed quiet for a moment. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks just from the restraint it took her to not flee the room. "You really think we should...give our most precious secret away, that easily?"

"Ladybug," Master Fu corrected gently, "I never expected this to be easy for either of you. The only reason I continue to push the both of you towards telling each other the truth is for the benefit of not only yourselves, but also Paris. It will become a much safer city at the hands of two superheros who completely trust each other."

Unable to respond verbally, Marinette rested her face in her gloved hands. That was really it, then. She would have to reveal the secret she had guarded so meticulously - for years - to her shameless flirt of a partner. Sure, she trusted Chat Noir. He was always there by her side, protecting her and valuing her as a companion. But if he really knew who she was, would she have time to herself? Would he truly respect her boundaries and give her the space she frequently needed to recharge?

It was such a big leap from sharing messaging information...

"If you wouldn't mind, Master, could you tell me about the history of the black cat miraculous wielders?" 

Ladybug sagged in relief upon hearing them move on.

The elder ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair with a sigh. "The cat miraculous has been used by quite a few famous heroes in the past. The most notable of all was an Egyptian woman who took on the name, 'Bastet'. She lived nine whole lifetimes before passing away - and she used all nine hundred years to carry out selfless, brave acts of kindness.

"Most who have used Plagg and his ring have lived their lives drenched in misfortune. However, simply sticking by their Ladybug has balanced out the lives of many cat miraculous wielders."

Raising her cup to her lips, Ladybug asked, "Is there anything about my predecessors that I should know?"

"Hmm," Fu grunted, "you'd probably be interested in knowing that a few famous women from history were Ladybugs. The Maid of Orleans is a great example."

The woman had to choke down her tea in order to not spit it all over the table. "Jeanne d'Arc was a Ladybug?!"

Chat smiled warmly and mentioned, "You and her do have a similar fierceness."

"Which Ladybug formed wings?" the dark-haired girl inquired. "She must've been awfully close with Tikki."

Master Fu smiled as he said, "She was one of the three Egyptian Ladybugs, and yes, she was incredibly fond of her kwami. It took Tikki half of her next Ladybug's lifetime to recover."

Frowning, Marinette placed a gloved hand on her own shoulder, hoping that her tiny goddess could feel her comforting touch. Feeling a hand grasp hers, she glanced down. Chat Noir's claw-tipped fingers were gently squeezing her hand - and then he took his hand back. A moment of respectful comfort and nothing more. She offered her partner a quick smile.

"Shall we move on to our main topic at hand?" Fu said after clearing his throat.

Chat Noir straightened his posture and gave Fu his full attention. "Master Fu, I would like to formally request that Nino Lahiffe be your next apprentice, to train as the Turtle miraculous wielder along with the new guardian of the Miracle box."

Staring at her partner for a moment, Marinette had to remind herself to close her mouth. It seemed like with every passing day, Chat grew more and more...different. Mature, yet still himself. His hair was longer, frequently tied into a short ponytail during their patrols and battles. Chat Noir's jawline had become more defined. He was taller, too - not to mention the muscle he was forming on his chest, his abs, his biceps...

The dark haired girl felt her face bloom with heat. Thinking about her partner this way was wrong; besides, Adrien had been shaping up recently as well. Just the thought of him made the warmth on her cheeks grow more intense and spread to her entire face. Not knowing what else to do with herself, Ladybug fiddled with the hexagonal, black box in her hands. She had brought the Fox miraculous with her, as per Fu's request.

The elder gave Ladybug's blond partner a long, hard stare before one corner of his mouth curved upwards. "I trust your decision, Chat Noir. Please bring him here at your soonest convenience so I may explain to him what he has been chosen for."

Chat Noir nodded emphatically.

Turning to Marinette, Master Fu said, "I thought I may speak with Trixx once more before giving him to a new miraculous holder, but I assume you trust Rena Rouge quite a bit to ask to let her on the team permanently." He placed his hands on the table in front of them, searching his tea cup with a bittersweet expression. "You two have been here long enough; I must have worn out both of your kwami. Please give Rena my regards."

Both superheros bowed as they exited. Chat Noir opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a shrill beeping coming from both Ladybug's earrings and his ring.

"I'll see you soon, my Lady." He offered with a hasty bow. 

Then, he was disappearing over the roof of a building. Using her yo-yo to maneuver herself onto a rooftop, Ladybug rushed to her balcony. The transformation dropped as soon as her feet touched the ground, sending the kwami, Marinette, and the hexagonal box carrying Trixx tumbling to the ground. Marinette instinctively threw out her hands and caught both Tikki and the box, scraping her chin and arms in the process. 

Wincing, the teenager asked, "Are you okay?"

The tiny, red being raised exhausted and concerned eyes to her partner. "Yes, thanks to you. Your chin is bleeding!"

"Nothing a band aid can't fix." Mari said with a grin. 

She turned her attention to the Fox miraculous' box. After giving the dark wooden container a cursory glance-over, Marinette decided that no harm had come to it. She let out a sigh of relief and carefully made her way down the ladder.

After storing the hexagonal container in her backpack, Marinette was called down by her parents to help work in the bakery. So, with a wink to Tikki, the teenager sent herself flying down the stairs and into her family's kitchen.

\---

It was dusk when Marinette came rushing back upstairs to her bedroom. She had helped pipe macaroon batter into perfect circles on wax paper, had made the caramel buttercream filling, and had filled, assembled, and decorated each macaroon with a tiny sprinkle of sea salt. Her family had made four tray's worth of the caramel-colored treats, which were now being delicately placed into displays at the front of the shop. Her father had been retrieving miniature fruit pies from the oven when Mari thundered into the room. The noise from her running had almost caused the tall, broad man to drop those freshly baked pastries, still glistening from the heat. But with his large hands - sheathed inside petal pink oven mitts - Tom stabilized the baking sheet and saved them from sliding off the parchment and onto the floor. One look from him had the teenage girl apologizing and sheepishly heading for the kitchen, where her mom was waiting.

Now that Mari was back in the comfortable privacy of her bedroom, she flopped onto her bed and checked her cell phone for messages. Only two notifications popped up on her lock screen. Both were from Chat Noir, the first reading:

CN: Are you busy, bugaboo? I have a purrposal for you

The second text was a winking cat emoji. Feeling the corners of her mouth tug upwards, Marinette wrote back:

LB: What's your idea? It can't be good

The dots indicating that he was typing popped up a moment later.

CN: Aww, you don't trust me? I was going to suggest that we have a meeting with Rena Rogue at our next patrol

LB: That sounds like a good idea, Chaton  
LB: I'm sorry I ever doubted you :p

Flipping her phone face-down on her pink bedsheets, Marinette hopped up and frowned at the fabric still pinned to her pastel pink dress model. Where the tuxedo jacket had once had plain lapels, black leather replaced it. On the inside of a piece of fabric representing the breast pocket was a small, lime green cat insignia - along with Marinette's signature - and she had sketched a similarly colored handkerchief resting in that same pocket in her sketchbook. 

She was flipping through her designs in that book when a soft set of knocks sounded at the hatch to her balcony. Hastily setting her phone face-down on her desk, Marinette opened her hatch and peered up at her partner.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late." Chat murmured, "Can we talk?"

Maybe it was her strong desire to close that damned hatch and trap the last inkling of warmth in her room; maybe it was the fact that she now had a living, breathing piece of reference for her work; perhaps she even just wanted to talk to the young man she was forming a fast friendship with. Regardless of any reasons that bounced around her brain, Marinette took a deep breath through the nose and asked as calmly as possible, "Will you come inside for a moment?"

There was a glimmer of curiosity in his vibrant, green eyes as Chat Noir gracefully descended the ladder into Mari's room. Once inside, he planted himself on the floor with his legs crossed. Marinette sat down beside the blond boy, toying with the colorful charm bracelet on her wrist.

He must have immediately picked up on the motion, because Chat Noir asked gently, "Do you like it? The bracelet, I mean."

Twisting a green, round bead around the red thread it was looped through, Mari's lips curved upwards. "Yes, I do. It's from a special friend of mine."

A silent pause from the cat-themed hero. Then he slowly laid down on his back, scooting forward so his head was still near Marinette. The young woman lodged her fingers into his golden hair, lightly scratching his head. And smirked as deep rumbling began emerging from his throat. 

Despite the pleased expression plastered to his face, Chat Noir grumbled over his purring, "You know this embarrasses me, Princess."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about around me." The teen chided.

Chat continued to quietly purr, angling his head closer to her. "I can't stop thinking about Ladybug today."

Marinette tried - and failed - to keep her fingers scratching at his head. The air around her suddenly became harder to breathe.

Swallowing thickly, the dark haired girl resumed scratching the superhero's scalp while inquiring, "Any reason for that?"

She prayed he would give her a short, quick answer - something that could be easily moved on from. Marinette disliked the way her heart hammered in her chest every time they discussed his romantic issues with Ladybug.

Mainly because they were also about her, regardless of him not knowing that.

"Ah, you know," Chat replied wistfully, "I keep feeling like I'm losing her trust. Whatever trust even existed in the first place. I feel like if she knew who I was, she would find it easier to trust me. But..." The young man paused, breathing in through his nose, "Ladybug doesn't want to reveal our identities to each other. She says she enjoys keeping her hero life and civilian life separated. And I can't help but feel like we'll never get the chance to know each other outside of our costumes. I just... I'm so curious about her! I want to know what hobbies she has, where she frequently goes, what her friends are like."

This was incredibly dangerous territory that Mari found herself trapped in. "You know what I'm going to say in return."

She earned a deep, defeated sigh from Chat. "She'll come around eventually, and I just have to keep being patient. I know." He sat up with his back slouched and breathed, "Sometimes I wonder if she even thinks about my side of things. If she cares about me- "

Marinette had her hands on either side of Chat Noir's face in an instant. With her brows furrowed and an intense stare, she said sternly, "Regardless of whether she ever reveals her identity to you, Chat, Ladybug will always care about you and consider your position. You are her partner, who she relies on whole-heartedly. If she didn't trust you, she wouldn't care as strongly as I can tell she does."

The blond stayed speechless, returning Mari's gaze with shock. His lips began to twitch into a smile as he murmured, "Thank you."

Removing her hands from him with haste, Marinette murmured, "It's getting late. I need to be in bed soon."

"I won't keep you any longer, then." Chat Noir said back with a wink.

As he moved for that ladder, Mari reached out, grabbing his hand - and planted a kiss on the smooth skin of his cheek.

"What was that for?" He breathed, eyes wide and bright. A leather-clad hand delicately hovered over where she had kissed.

"For luck," She explained simply, "and for a dear friend."

Chat Noir hesitated a moment longer, his eyes burning a hole in her own. Then he was gone, having disappeared through the hatch in her ceiling silently. Marinette pressed her palms to her face, feeling the heat rise into her cheeks. 

Why had she done that?

\---

The question plagued her dreams, enough so to induce thrashing limbs throughout the night. Mari awoke to a stiff back, dark bags under her eyes, and messy bedsheets. Peeling her tongue off the roof of her mouth, Marinette began her morning routine reluctantly.

Emerging from the bathroom almost half an hour later with clean teeth and brushed hair, the young woman's bluebell eyes landed on the black, hexagonal box hidden crudely in her pink backpack. Landed - and glued in place. She supposed that she could slip the box into Alya's bag during English class on Tuesday. It would have to be then...although getting the box stashed in Alya's backpack would most likely prove to be difficult.

Sighing through her nose, Marinette zipped up the petal pink bag and made her way downstairs.


End file.
